Lust
by EnigmaLight
Summary: He pisses me off. I annoyed him. He makes me giddy. I leave him wanting me. But our efforts are useless because were both taking the exam and being a Dragon slayer forbids the "Sex Factor". Obviously, we don't give a damn.
1. The burning light

_Okay, I came up with this plot while I was watching Dance Your Ass Off. I really like that show and How I met Your Mother. Best shows ever, but that's not the point!_

_Any who don't read this if you don't like crude humor and other things... That's why it's placed under mature content. HAHA!_

_I also noticed that I don't put disclaimers. Is that bad? I don't really care because we all know that only one person owns Naruto. Oh, what ever!_

_Summary: __He pisses me off. I annoyed him. He makes me giddy. I leave him wanting me. But it's all useless. Because were both taking the exam and being a Dragon slayer forbids the "Sex Factor". Obviously, we don't give a damn._

_Here's the first chapter everybody!_

* * *

><p><em>Lust<em>

_The burning light_

_._

_._

I walked into the pub and slid onto the chair, ordering a mug of whiskey from the bartender. The dark hunting shirt I wore hid the fact that I was defined in the chest area and my dark brown pants were tucked into the brown leather boots I wore. A light glint came from the silver ring around my upper right arm. All in all, I looked like a normal traveler.

The dim light of the tavern flickered as the bulky men sitting on chairs chugged mountains of mugs. Roars and yells echoed in the expanse.

Noticing that I was the only woman in the inn, I propped my arm on the table and tapped my fingers on the surface.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…_

My nails clicked on the surface but was drowned out by the countless of men drinking and hollering. Alcohol wreaked the air and men swaggered back and forth trying to walk around the area.

A man came by my table and placed the mug of whiskey down on the table with a smack and walked away but not before eyeing me suspiciously. I grabbed the container and drank a few gulps before placing the mug back down, the warm liquid burning the inside of my mouth.

Suddenly, an uproar was caused in the pub and the men faced me with smirks and smiles upon their faces.

"Why, if it isn't a woman! I ain't ever seen one in here before!" One of the men hollered at the top of his lungs. He watched me keenly and followed my movements as I continued to drink from the mug.

Another spoke after the first. "She must be brave to come in here and just order a whiskey, acting all mature! HA! She's only a child and underage to drink!"

I felt myself twitch. "Eh? Are you questioning my age?" I looked up at them with glinting green eyes, menacing and furious, and then they turned into mocking ones. "If you are, let me knock the knowledge into your thick skulls." I smirked and finished the cup in several gulps.

Some of the men growled and whispered things about how courageous I was, but I sat there with my arms crossed and my head held high. My smirk grew when none of the men wanted to take me outside.

"Are none of you brave enough to take me on?" I quirked a slim pink brow and they roared in anger. Laughing, I ordered another whiskey and the bartender brought another over and as quickly as he came, he left.

The yelling quieted down and I drank until the liquid burned my tongue.

A large bulky man stepped forward and glared over in my direction, his eyes a dull brown and his hair ratty hazel on his head. He opened his mouth and yellow teeth, crooked and chipped, showed through as he smirked.

"I'll take you on, little missy. But don't say I didn't warn you. I don't go easy on children or women." He cracked his knuckles and then his neck. The popping sharp and loud in the room

Smirking, I stood up, and drained the mug. Then turning to the large man, I smiled and cracked my knuckles until the sound went across the room. "Why don't we make this fun? Why, after all, you're going to be dirt on the bottom of my boots."

I noticed how the man twitched, several times actually, but he nodded his head and glared. "How do you want to make this fun, Missy?"

I glided my fingers across the surface of the table and walked closer to the man before me. "A bet. Let's make a bet."

The man chuckled and the entire pub filled with men followed in his laugh.

"Fine then," He stopped laughing and smirked at me. "If I were to win, you must never come into town again."

"Ain't gonna happen, but okay." I shrugged and smirked. "Then if I were to win, you give me all the money on you."

He flinched and hesitantly pulled out a sack of gold from his back pocket. I stared at the bag like a hawk finding prey, and my prey was the money. He stepped back from the table where his money was and he glared once again.

"Bring it on, Missy." The man hissed and I crossed my arms, standing defiantly before him. With my lack of spirit, the man charged.

The light in my eyes blazed and just as he was inches away from me, I stepped sided him and the velocity of his sprint kept him going until he smashed into the table behind me.

I chuckled and fixed my shirt. As the man stood up, his face lightly bruised from his fall, he charged at me again and this time, I agilely jumped over him and stood on his shoulders.

"Get the hell off of me!" He hollered and shook his body about to try and pry my weight off.

I smiled and yelled in joy. "Haha! Go faster!"

She's enjoying this? All the men in the inn thought as I hung on tight to the other man.

The man, preoccupied with my weight on his shoulders, ended up running head first into the wall and the bartender screamed. Probably in fear of losing his job.

Seeing that the man was unconscious, I swung my body off the man and to the table to grab the sack of gold. Pushing the cotton sack into my back pocket as best as I could; I walked out the pub and laughed.

Turning around slightly, I looked over my shoulder and smiled. "I should come here more often!"

.

.

I headed for the only other inn in town and up the stairs. The woman who kept things clean smiled as I walked by. I walked down the hall with the sound of my boots lightly tapping against the floor. Walking up to the room twenty-four, I unlocked it and strode through.

A figure in the dark of the room caught my eye and I flicked on the light. It disappeared into another part of the room and I quirked a brow.

A hesitantly, almost faint, voice came from the corner of the bedroom. "S-Sakura? Is that you?"

A girl sat wedged in the corner with an outfit like mines except for the brown metal around her upper left bicep was brown she and held her hunting bow over her chest. Her long violet hair tied up in a ponytail with small tendrils of purple escaping the knot. Her pearly white eyes seemed less frightened then before and she stopped shaking in fear.

"Yeah Hinata, it's only me." I said and looked around the room before leaning down on my knees before the small girl. "Damn, why the hell did Ino have to leave you here in the room all alone… That damn bitch…"

"Please Sakura… Don't say things about Ino, she just had to go somewhere and left without me knowing." Hinata mumbled and I held out my hand to pull the sitting girl up.

Staring at her dully, I tried to act casually. "You know, Hinata, she ditched you right?" I gazed around the room and questioned. "And where's Ryu?"

"She took Ryu and left to go get something to eat…" Hinata muttered and the embarrassed blush on her face only grew.

Shrugging, I plopped myself down on the single bed and laid down, my hair flaring around my head. I blinked at the ceiling and swung my legs in the air.

"We might as well wait for the damn bitch to come back… I'm too hungry to-"

"Who's the bitch, forehead?" Both their heads snapped in the direction of the door and a blonde woman with long hair in a ponytail stood at the door with a sack of food. She also wore the hunting uniform that we wore yet the band on her arm was brown, like Hinata's.

The woman's blue eyes glared at me. "We waited so fucking long for you to come back, so I left to get us some food."

I sat up, pulling the sack of gold out of my back pocket; I waved it in front of her and smirked. "I got results, didn't I? Now we have enough money for about a month."

A wolf with brown fur and a white underside walked out from behind the woman and inside the room. He wagged his tail and sat down next to me, his head lying calmly on my lap.

I patted his head and smiled. "Did you have to take Ryu? He's mine, Ino."

The blonde scoffed and dropped the bag on the bed and dumped out the food. "I know that. And why exactly are we traveling on foot to Beaumont?"

Hinata clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes. "Shiro-san said that it strengthens the body and the mind. We have to power up our head and body to get any closer to our dream."

Ino sat down on the bed and grabbed the apple. "I don't see why we can't just fly on a griffin and reach Beaumont in a week. But no─he has to make us cross the entire country just to get there! The nerve of him!"

"But this makes us stronger, Ino. To kill a dragon, it takes skill and wisdom, and I'm pretty sure you don't have that." I said, chuckling at my own words.

Ino took several large bites into her apple and the juice from the fruit trickled down the corner of her mouth. "I'm just sayin'. And doesn't it suck that you can't have sex after the-"

"Ino!" I yelled and pointed to the almost faint girl with a blush all over her face.

"I'm just saying! That stupid rule is so gay! I mean come on! I want to have sex before I die." Ino said and pointed to her chest. "I can get so many guys with these right here."

"More like none…" I uttered softly enough for only Hinata to hear, making the violet haired girl giggle.

Ino finished the apple and threw it across the room, landing it directly in the can near the door. "I wonder when I can have sex… God, I want to know what it feels like."

"Slut."

The blonde's head snapped in my direction once again.

"Say that again, bitch!" She hollered.

I stood up and faced the blonde. "I want to know what it feels like too, but I don't go saying, 'OH MY GOSH! CAN I LIKE PAY YOU TO FUCK ME?' No, a woman with dignity would never say such crap."

Ino smirked and picked up her sword from the corner of the room. A long broad sword about three feet long and the hilt silver with red gems around the middle.

"I remember you wanting to run into the arms of that one guy just two days ago, just to release the sexual frustration that you've been having…"

Hinata stood up and got in between the bickering pair. "Stop! The other guests will hear your language and the fighting! We went on this journey to gain wisdom and strength, not to argue about who's a slut and who's a bitch, alright?" Her eyes were furious.

Me, being the smart one, nodded and said nothing other than a few mumbled words. We dimmed the lights and sat down on the bed, food in the middle of their little circle.

Ino smiled and flicked her wrist. "Ne, ne. I actually think that they make you go through this journey just so you can grasp all the cons and pros in being a slayer. Then they make you go through this journey to see if you really want to be a slayer or not. How smart!"

I tore off a part of the large bakery bread and bit into it delicately. "I already know that I want to be a slayer. There's no other likely choice of being anything else."

Hinata smiled and spun the pear in her hands. "I remember when you were adopted by Shiro-san. He was so frustrated with you because you never called him 'Otou-san' and he practically went crazy over the matter." She giggled and continued. "Then, remember on your first ever birthday, you were so happy with everyone that you called Shiro-san Otou-san. He cried tears of joy!"

Ino laughed and bit into her piece of bread. "I always knew he had a soft spot for you, Sakura."

"I don't get he has to treat me like a daughter. I know that sounds weird, but he should treat me like the rest of the trainees." I mumbled and lay down on the bed after eating my meal.

Hinata put the sack away and turned the lights off. "We should go to sleep; after all, we have a long way left to go."

.

.

_When I was seven, my parents had abandoned me._

_Maybe it was because I was a bad child, or that I couldn't live up to their expectations. All in all, I could never feel their warmth or their love. I should've just died that day, leaving behind all that made me sad._

_I remember like it was yesterday…_

_._

_I was seated on the ground of our front yard. The grass lightly swaying beside me and the sky hovering above. The sound of hoofs thundering on the dirt road caught my eyes and I ran over to greet the man inside._

_I don't remember what he looks like now but before, I was always waiting, waiting, and waiting for him to come home. He wasn't my father and he was the only one that could comfort me. _

_Running like the wind, I dashed down the grassy hill and toward the approaching rider. The green dress I wore swished in the wind and the lace shoes around my feet stung my toes, but I didn't mind. I was getting to see him again._

_As soon as I stepped onto the road, he dismounted from his chestnut mustang and glided over gracefully. The rider tipped his hat and bowed down at me. I giggled at his respectful actions._

"_Hello Sakura, how are you this fine evening?" He asked and straightened from his bowed position._

_I smiled and watched as the trees swayed in harmony behind him. "I'm fine, thank you very much. How are you?"_

_His dark black hair hid his eyes. "I'm in mourning right now."_

_I took notice to the black clothes he wore, the ebony top hat atop his onyx tresses. "Who was the one important to you that died? Was it you're brother, sir?"_

_He chuckled and patted my head with his large palm. It was warm and firm against my head. "Just because we don't get along, you think he's the first one to die?" Then his expression became serious and his eyes darkened. "It was actually my wife that died. She passed away due to a plague going around the Takeuchi village."_

_Something… Something in the middle of my chest felt heavy. As if weighing me down. It hurt to breath and with each heart beat, it only became worse and worse._

"_S-Sir, I'm so sorry…"_

_He smiled and his teeth gleamed brightly in spite of the earlier conversation. "She's passed on, so we must forget the past and walk forward into the future." He blinked and swiftly rushed toward the pack on the horse. _

_I watched in curiosity as he pulled out an item and shoved it behind his back out of my view._

"_My daughter made something for you not too long ago. She thought you might like it." From behind his back, be pulled a stuffed white rabbit before my eyes. _

_The ears flopped down and the eyes were little black beads sewn on with great skill. The rabbit wore a bow around its neck and a small white dress over its body. He handed it to me with a smile of delight._

"_She put a lot of work into making this for you; I do hope you take care of her." He smiled and was about ready to swing back up on his horse, but I could find no words to say to make up for me feeling so warm._

_He waved and kept that same warm smile upon his handsome face. "Until next time, Sakura."_

_He was always coming and going, so close to me yet so distant, so far away. I could never reach him but he always saw right though me. Why, why…? Why was it that I was so weak and not able to see the disaster in that man's eyes…_

_After he quit coming to see me, a dragon came to the village and killed thousands of people, innocent people._

_I could never forget that night… all of those dead bodies pilled up on one another…_

_._

_The fire was everywhere in the village. On houses, stores, trees, and even burning the other villagers. The smoke from the burning inferno clogged up my lungs and I was frequently coughing from pain. _

_I dashed through the village looking for my mother, the smoke burning my eyes and hazing my vision. The stuffed rabbit in my arms felt heavier than ever before._

"_Oka-san!" I hollered with my hands cupping my mouth. Houses burned and wood crackled. I heard roars and screams of victory from the dragon. It was mocking us, the entire village._

_I dashed through the small gap between the flames and rushed out the burning expanse. Coughing up a storm, I sat down and clutched my stomach in pain. My breathing was ragged and my eyes stung. I closed my eyes and lay on the floor._

_Was I going to die here? At the age of six? I still haven't done anything in life and…_

_The scream of villagers and the thundering roars of the beast echoed passed the hills. But soon the roars became more frequent and more aggravated. _

_Then, all of a sudden, the noise all stopped._

_I shut my eyes and squeezed the stuffed animal to my chest. What was happening in the small burning town? _

_My vision blurred and the darkness of the night surrounded me._

_._

_When I next woke up, I was laying on the ground with my bunny in my arms. My clothes were horribly burnt and my hair a mess, but none of that mattered. After I had remembered last night's incident, I rushed back to the burnt town. I tripped many times and my legs were heavy, but I had to know, what happened last night to stop all the noise?_

_As the village came into view, I halted and stared in shock. I remember dropping my precious bunny on the ground next to my feet as the scene wrapped around my mind._

_There were bodies, corpses, human beings burnt on the ground… Everywhere…_

_I gasped and covered my mouth in horror. The tears of pain and guilt streamed down my cheeks and I shut my eyes tight. My entire life was gone…_

_After several days, I had stayed in the town filled with countless of dead bodies. There wasn't anywhere for me to go, so I stayed there and spent my time building graves for the people. Day after day, the pain subsided and I felt nothing. I always held a switchblade with me now, to carve the names of the people onto the graves._

_During the daytime, when I was still digging graves, several men had come upon the place and snooped around. They wore loose fitted hunting outfits and clothes made of leather. I hid and spied on them as they walked around the entire expanse, mumbling to one another._

_When the sun had retired, I was too tired from running around without anything to eat that I had to stop stalking and sit down to rest._

_I walked out to the well in the middle of the town and took a sip of the cool liquid. At least the water wasn't dried up. _

"_Ah! There's a little girl here!" _

_I spun around and pulled out my knife. My rabbit in one hand and my blade in the other, I watched as they slowly approached me in caution._

_One of the men raised his hands and dropped all of his weapons. "We aren't here to hurt you, so please put down your blade."_

_After he had dropped all of his weapons, his companions did the same, with hesitation but nonetheless followed the head._

_Swallowing the lump in my throat, I opened my mouth to speak words that I haven't uttered since the day my village was burnt down to the last piece of wood. _

"_W-Who are you? Why are you here in my village?" _

_The man in the front walked over and I held the knife up in defense. He dropped down on his knees in front of me and wrapped his arms around my shaking form._

"_You must've endured a lot here, but you are the last living thing in the town." He murmured and I held back the tears threatening to fall._

_Why was he telling me things I already knew?_

"_Shut up! I know that already!" I yelled and pushed the man away with no avail, his arms were tight around me. "Let me go!"_

"_You must be suffering."_

_I stopped struggling and dropped my arms to my side._

"_You must be full of agony."_

_I closed my eyes and let out a silent scream. These people were driving me crazy._

"_You must hate yourself for living while all your friends and family are dead."_

_His last sentence made the dam overflow. I broke down and cried like I haven't in days. The pain I felt, the frustration, I let it all out and in front of a total stranger. How weak…_

_I grabbed his shirt and silently sobbed. I felt his grip tighten on me and I felt relief. Why was I relieved?_

_He released me after I had calmed down and smiled bright and warmly. I took notice to his features. His hair was unusually silver and his eyes a bright blue. He was young and yet, his hair was silver? But I couldn't complain…_

"_You can stay here and keep crying or," He stopped and waved to his friends. "you can come with us and become a dragon slayer so things like this never happen again."_

_It was obvious what my choice was._

_._

_After several years in training, I had met many people and was adopted by the man who understood me, Shiro-san. We lived in the city Takahashi, where all of slayers lived, and he trained me as well as many other people._

_In those training years, I had met two girls who I could truly call 'friends'. The first was Yamanaka Ino, an heiress to her clan and she was learning the skills to be able to protect her clan. She was such a bright and smart person and she always brushed off what other people thought of her._

_The next was another heiress named Hyuga Hinata. I never understood why she wanted to be a slayer, but I heard it was to impress another boy in the class. She was so shy and timid around everyone and she rarely talked to anyone. But after we got to know one another better, she opened up and talks without a stutter._

_I'm glad I decided to come with Shiro-san and become a dragon slayer._

_._

_._

The next morning, I woke up with Ino sleeping on my right and Hinata sleeping on my left. The morning rays shined through the curtains and the soothing sound of birds chirping caught my ears.

Careful not to wake up the two sleeping girls, I cautiously got out of bed and changed into my training uniform. I walked over to the side table and grabbed my silver band and slid it onto my arm.

Massaging my temples, I sighed and moaned. "I have too many things on my mind…"

.

.

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><p><em>So, what did you think about it? I dunno... but I think it's okay. So far anyway.<em>

_Anyway, tell me what you think by reviewing please!_

_EnigmaLight Signing Off!_


	2. Retrieval Team

_Okay, I know I haven't updated any of my stories in a LONG time but don't blame me, blame my computer. It broke and I lost all my files... So I'm typing on my laptop... Anyway, I'll try and update as soon as possible. OH and Silently Lost is on HIATUS. I'm changing the plot a little and it's going to be a collaboration between me and one of my friends. I'm adding a prequel story so it's little more understandable. So yes, it's being rewritten once again._

_Oh yeah, I changed the summary of this story and title too. Better? Anyway, here's the second chapter of Lust._

_Summary: He pisses me off. I annoyed him. He makes me giddy. I leave him wanting me. But it's all useless. Because were both taking the exam and being a Dragon slayer forbids the "Sex Factor". Obviously, we don't give a damn._

* * *

><p><em>Lust<em>

_Retrieval Team_

_._

_._

"I get it Ino, stop yacking already."

"WHY ISNT SHE HERE YET? IS SHE _TRYING _ TO RAISE MY BLOOD PRESSURE? WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING HINATA SO LONG?"

I sighed and crossed my arms, the leather squeaking against each other. She needs to calm down. I glanced over to see her furiously kicking at the air from her spot upon the barrel of water. "For God's sake stop kicking up a fuss. You're getting dust in the tavern's water barrel."

She angrily turned towards me. "I'm pissed off right now, kicking up a fuss? IS THAT LESS IMPORTANT THAN THE BLESSED WATER?"

"The Owner probably payed a fortune for this amount of fresh water." I recall how clean the water we drank last night was. Probably from a spring in town. "You just can't go around thrashing dirt in it because your throwing a tantrum."

She raised a brow, delicate and slim. "Oh? And who says I can't?"

I reciprocated her actions. "Who says u can?"

"Stingy bitch..." She sat back down and huffed defiantly, but the conversation was over. She wouldn't kick dust in the water and I wouldn't have to scold her.

Sometimes, I wonder how much of a mature woman Ino says she is. Because to me, she seems like a childish girl. I guess I can't judge her, we've all come from bad places, her's probably not as bad as mine. She grew up as a heiress so she was confined to the castle most of the time. Hinata is no exception. Everyone that Shiro collect is all wanting something. Whether its adventure or strength, everyone training to become a slayer is determined to make it all the way through.

I massaged my temples and leaned against the wood post. The shade from the tavern covers us as Ino leans against the wall and crosses her arms. Hinata, you sure do take your time... How long has it been since she left? Few hours?

Panic flooded through me.

What if she was in danger? What if some stranger had given her wrong directions for the meeting place and was now dead in the middle of the forest?

"Ino!" I twirl around and face her. "We have-"

I hear light snores. Slowly, I walk over and see her head slightly resting on her right shoulder, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open.

Sleeping? I stare dumbfounded as she continued to catch some Z's. I shake my head from my startled daze and grab her by her shoulders.

"Wake up!"

She moans and pushes me away somewhat. "Just a little bit longer..."

I shake her furiously until her hazy blue eyes blink open. "You can't sleep at a time like this! Hinata might be dying in a forest somewhere!"

She yawns and covers her mouth. "She's not dead, probably flirting with some guy somewhere..."

"Hinata flirts?"

Ino yawns again and leans back against the wall. "Yeah, she's a big time _man-izer_."

I restrained from smacking the daylights out of her. "Don't get Hinata mixed up for you."

"Well, just calm your ass down and wait a 'lil longer." She resumes her earlier position and closes her eyes.

"INO!" I slap her and she yelps in surprise. "STOP DOSING OFF ON ME. WHAT IF SHE'S-"

"Sakura?"

I glance over my shoulder. Hinata stood there with a bag in her small palms. I release Ino's shoulders and rush over to the dark haired girl. No scratches, wounds, or marks on her. I sighed in relief.

"Crazy bitch..." Ino mutters and closes her eyes again.

I look at her and smile, I notice her worried stare. "I'm glad you're back Hinata. Did you find Shiro's message?"

She nodded and pulled out a folded piece of parchment, which she handed to me. "Read it, I doubt you'll like the news..."

I grasped the paper between my fingers and unfolded it. In black, the message said:

_**Dear Unit 3,**_

_**How are you guys? I'm doing GREAT! Oh, you probably already know that. HA! HA! HA! Did you guys see that New Moon on the fourth day you left? Pretty right? I thought it was beautiful. Sakura, I hope you aren't causing a fuss in any towns. I'll get scolded by the council if you do...**_

Hinata frowns. "He just babbles on in the first paragraph. I don't think any of it is important."

She's right, so I skip pass to the second paragraph.

_**After you've read to the end of this letter, don't hate me. Especially Sakura.**_

I stare at the paper. "What the hell?"

_**Actually, Ino and Hinata, you two might like this.**_

"What is he writing? His will?" Ino's voice comes from behind me. I continue to read aloud.

_**I actually sent you girls on the wrong route, but you must have already figured that out, right Sakura?**_

I groan and rub my temples. "No shit."

_**Anyway, there's also been some mischievous events happening around Haltweather town. I suppose you three are close there when this letter reaches you. Apparently a group of tamers are headed there to catch Cerise. I don't have to explain right? Well... Ino might not remember this from class.**_

"I wanna punch him..." Ino mutters softly. I snicker.

_**I sent out a message to the closest group near you three. You'll know two of the four. The other two are from another academy from the east. Both Units will meet up at Four Trees in the Seryz forest. Then you'll travel in a group like good children and work together to survive. I thought having you seven together would ensure your safety in reaching Beaumont. Just don't die okay?**_

_**Shiro- Also Sakura's Otou-san. LOVES AND KISSES!**_

I shiver at the last part. He's so weird...

Hinata taps her chin and hums softly. "If I remember, Cerise is the ancient dragon of the Jintou Region. Are the tamers finally going to try and control the impossible?"

I shrug. Cerise, the ancient dragon of the Jintou Region. Its scales are blood red, eyes a menacing gold that brings fear to any slayer. Its long black claws scratch the earth, and its tail, long and powerful is strong enough to break bones upon impact. How can they think they can tame Cerise? Its part of the five legends. The five legends is the title the slayers have given the five dragons that are the largest threat to us.

There was Chronic of the Grander Region, massive in build with dark navy scales. Those dark black eyes seem to forever stop time and its enormous wings span larger than an entire castle.

Next was Hiemal from the Trithun Region. This dragon, from an icy region, wasn't particularly large. It's rather small but that makes it even more lethal in the barren wasteland of Trithun. A pale white adorns its scales and you can barely see its blue eyes before you can scream in terror.

Then there was Terra from Dunther Region. Another small dragon but deadly in its own terrain. Its scales are the same shade as the sand that blows in the air, which makes great camouflage. I remember that this dragon in particular uses a lethal poison that damages the nerve system from just a flick from its horn tipped tail.

Last was Aqua from Cervine Region, a water country surrounded by the ocean, or an large island. Blue scales, slender body that is able to travel quickly in water without making a sound and a tail that darts out of the shallows to strike any unlucky civilian.

Cerise, Chronic, Hiemal, Terra, and Aqua. All prove powerful. The most powerful was Chronic, being able to paralyze any victim if you stare into his black eyes. Cerise might not be as strong or dangerous as Chronic but the tamers wont be able to get even close to Cerise before dying or running away from fear.

"So the tamers are striking before we can make any more slayers huh?" I stare at the letter in my hands and think. We have to become full fledged dragon slayers soon, because with the amount S-ranked slayers with us now, we'll never be able to beat the tamers along with the dragons, which are the massive threat.

Ino ponders for a second. "Shiro never mentioned who was going to meet up with us. Think its Karin's group?"

"I wonder if it's Naru-"

Ino laughs. "He said another Unit that will ensure our safety to Beaumont. Naruto? No way."

Hinata frowns and stares at her boots. Sympathy flows through me.

"It actually might be, remember what the letter said?" I pat her shoulder and smile. "Both you and Ino might enjoy it."

"But Shiro totally knows you'll hate it." Ino snickers. "And I can guess who he put on the other Unit to travel with us."

I roll my eyes and encourage them back inside the tavern to eat before heading out to Four Trees. The letter states it's close by but the truth hurts. It's actually around three days away on foot so we head out after packing. The tavern keeper gives us directions and a map drawn and written neatly on the back of Shiro's letter. We thank her for her hospitality and head south of town. Soon, we reach the clearing into the Seryz Forest.

I take a look around our surroundings. Ino gawks at the trees, which are, ginormous. Hinata just glances around and takes a better look at the map before saying, "It'll take us a few days in the forest. Maybe we should've brought more supplies."

I glance over and pat her back reassuringly. "You're such a worry wart. I tell 'ya, by tomorrow, we'll have so much supplies left that you'll be thinking 'Oh! I guess Sakura was right after all!'"

She doesn't look amused. But she doesn't protest. Ino on the other hand, complains.

"We should've brought more bread! I don't wanna hunt in these two days!" She's throwing her little sissy fit again.

Her yelling makes me dizzy. "Shush. Meat is healthy. You can't go around eating bread and apples all the time to watch your weight." She protests again. "We're trainees, meat is our top source of energy. We need it to stay in top shape."

"But it makes me fat!" She objects again.

"Then don't eat so much meat. I only bought a few apples and three loafs of bread." I rummage through my bag and show her the food. She drooled slightly. "The rest of our food is determined on our hunt."

She wines as we walk through the forest. I swear, she's so loud the animals wouldn't even make a sound. But as we traveled deeper into the forest, I could smell something. Sure there was already the scent of earth but there was a more unusual smell masked by the scent of the forest. One that shouldn't be there.

It got so noticeable, I could tell Hinata sensed it. Ino however didn't seem to mind. I glanced over at the white eyed female. "You smell that too?"

She nods.

Ino gives another blank glance. "What?"

I laugh. "Of course you haven't noticed it..." I glance around one more time and notice a bunch of wood piled together at the base of one tree on the left of us. Was that...?

"Sakura?" Hinata gives me that look.

I smile and continue walking. "It's nothing. Lets keep walking."

"What are you guys talking about!"

.

.

We made camp at the base of one of the trees. Hinata said she would take the first watch, saying that she wasn't very weary yet. Ino rolls out her blanket and flops down aimlessly, sleep taking her almost instantly. I lay down and stretch my arms behind my head. I decide to make some small talk since I'm not tired.

"Hinata," I see her turn towards me, the light from the fire outlining her face. "What are you gonna do when we reach Beaumont?"

She's probably blushing from embarrassment or surprise. I hide my smile. "W-Why are you asking so suddenly?"

"No reason. I mean like, don't you like someone? What are you going to do when we become slayers?"

She smiles and tosses more wood into the fire. "Yeah, but I think he likes someone else. Are you talking about the sex factor in becoming a slayer?" She stutters on the 'sex' part.

"Yeah, the 'Sex' factor. And who does Naruto like?"

"W-W-Why do yo-you think it's N-N-Naruto?"

I scoff. "I know you're into him. You blush and stutter all the time around him. Not really normal if you ask me."

"Is it really noticeable?" Her blush deepens horribly.

I chuckle and catch a leaf falling from above, twirling it in my hands. "Don't worry. I doubt he knows. He's dense after all."

I hear her sigh and glance back at her. "He's not the only dense person..."

"Huh?"

She shakes her head, apologizing. "I was just ta-"

"Hehehehehehehehehehe..."

I sigh and peek over at Ino. She always laughs in her dreams... it's so awkward.

"No... more... gonna... get fat... hehehe you're so... funny..." She tosses and turns in her sleep, drooling on her blanket.

Hinata giggles and drapes her blanket on her sleeping form. "What do you think she's dreaming about?"

I shrug. "Weight watching, boys, drinking. Stuff like that. It's Ino after all." I hear Hinata's faint humming. "What tune is that?"

She giggles again. I like her laughs, it makes me feel like smiling. They're so sweet, girly. "It's a tune that's suppose to make you fall asleep."

"Oh? And who taught you this tune?"

"My mom. She used to sing to me and my sister when we were little. But she's passed on."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

She smiles again. "Don't be. Being sad for the dead is like pitying them, so it's better to just remember them with a smile. Isn't that what they would want?"

I grin. "Right." She's such a sweet girl. She's able to look at her past with a smile. It makes me envious.

"Now go to sleep."

"'Mkay. Wake me up when you feel drowsy." I turn on my side and close my eyes.

"Right."

.

.

_I remember sitting on the bridge feeding the little fishies with bread crumbs. No one ever played with me, so I was alone most of the time. Green eyes were said to be a bad omen, and my pink hair didn't make me any happier. So instead of playing with "Friends", I fed the fish in the stream everyday with my left over lunch. The woods were like home to me. I usually never stayed home all day or I'll get an earful from Oka-san or yelled at by Otou-san. No one cared about me._

_But I remember one day while feeding the fish, a carriage crossed the bridge. I almost had gotten run over if it weren't for them stopping suddenly._

_The driver yelled at me. I always got yelled at, so it didn't phase me. I was used to it._

_Then a man stepped out of the carriage, "Is something wrong Hotoru?"_

"_This little girl was sitting on the bridge! Because of her, I almost had a heart attack!"_

_I stare up at the other man who stares back at me with intense black eyes. I was going to get shouted at for sitting here? Fine, yell all you want. I thought as he kept eye contact with me._

"_I sorry he yelled at you." I flinched. Was that a smile? I stared at him as he leaned down so we were face to face. He was a handsome man, a man from the kingdom and his voice was soft and kind. Why was he here? "But you shouldn't sit here, it's dangerous."_

_Was he mocking me? _

"_What does it matter?" I frown and glare at him. He doesn't seem affected. "I always sit here and no one ever crosses this bridge."_

_The driver barks at me again. "Mind your manners kid!"_

_The other man hushes the driver and turns his attention back to me. I glare back._

"_Are you alone?"_

"_Do I have to answer?" _

"_No, not if you don't want to."_

"_Then I won't."_

_He laughs and straightens from his position. "You're a feisty kid aren't you?"_

_Heat flutters to my face. "H-huh?"_

_He turns his back to me, still chuckling. "Hotoru, let's get back on track. I'll have to apologize to Fumi when we reach our destination."_

"_Right sir."_

_I watch him leave. I'm sure I heard him say something._

"_Your green eyes are pretty."_

_He turned back around and smiled. "Bye, little miss."_

_No one, not even my own parents, have said that before. After the carriage left, for the first time in months, I cried. All my pain, my suffering, my loneliness. He knew just by looking at me. My tears rolled down my cheeks, dropping into the stream and creating ripples._

_I...to...again..._

_._

_._

"Sakura!"

My eyes darted open. Hinata was in front of me.

"H-huh?"

"You were crying in your sleep. Is everything alright?"

I touched my face, and sure enough it's damp from tears. I hurriedly wipe them away. "I'm fine. Just a sad dream."

"What about?" she sits back down on the log and throws branches into the blaze. I notice it's early in the morning.

"I don't remember." Lies. "Have you been up this entire time?"

She tries her best not to yawn, but I notice her do it anyway. "Yeah, I didn't want to wake you."

I usher her to sleep. She protests as first but the yawns take over her and she falls asleep on my blanket as soon as she lays down.

Morning was coming soon but until then, I would let Hinata get some shut eye.

Just you wait mister. I'll show you how much I've changed over these years. Until then, wait for me.

.

.

"GOD! THEY TAKE FOREVER!"

"Yes, yes. Calm down."

Ino trusts her hands up in the air. "I **HATE **WAITING! WHAT THE FUCK IS TAKING THEM SO LONG?"

"Obviously... and maybe they're running behind schedule? They're end of the forest might be thicker than ours was." I sat down at the base of Four Trees and took the straps of my bag off my shoulders. "And its only been like three minutes."

"NO WAY! IT'S BEEN WAY LONGER THAN THAT!" her face is red from rage. I take note that people who make her wait, get on her bad side. Also, she can't tell time.

Hinata takes a seat next to me, setting her bag at her feet. "Sakura's right. Maybe they're going through thicker terrain."

Ino gives another exasperated sigh before sitting down next to Hinata. "THEY BETTER GET THEIR ASSES HERE SOON!"

So we sat, waiting and waiting and waiting. All the while, we got an earful from Ino who kept complaining on how long they were taking.

It was already sun set... and they still aren't here. We set up camp again and get a blaze roaring.

"Okay, now it's been a long time." I sigh and lean slightly against Hinata. "I'm so hungry..."

"Wanna eat then?"

The blonde sprang up. "YES! I'm STARVED!"

I reached for my bag and pulled out a loaf of bread and some apples. "Choose your pick."

Ino reaches for the bread and instantly tears the thing apart when she touches it. Hinata grabs and apple and takes a big bite into it. I also go for the fruit. The bread would be too dry.

"The bread smells nice..." Hinata closes her eyes at the pleasant scent and tears off a piece of bread. Daintily, she plops it into her mouth.

"That does smell nice."

The unfamiliar voice catches my attention. Reaching for my sword, I get ready to attack whoever it was. The dark made it hard for me to see who was there. A male. Defiantly a male's voice.

"Who's there." I cautiously step forward. Ino reaches for her sword and Hinata gets her arrows ready.

I hear a chuckle and unsheathe my sword. This person was making my day even worse... I look over to Ino and we both walk a little ways out. Hinata pulls back her arrow, aiming in the dark.

I hear him dash and I quickly lunge forward. His blade misses me by three centimeters. Rolling, I get back in my stance and wait for his next move.

I hear metal clashing against each other on my left. Ino probably already found her opponent.

My sword crashes against the other man's. "Not focused?"

His voice is deep, velvety. In a monotone voice to match him, I reply, "Just watching out for my teammates."

I notice his eyes are red, blood red with black marks around his pupil. So he can see me in the dark?

I jump back and skid to a halt. "You can see me? That's not really fair."

He straightens from his earlier crouched position. "Fighting is never fair. There aren't rule as far as I'm aware."

He dashes again as I'm about to comment on something. Quickly, I dodge his blow and swing my leg at his. He jumps back and skids to a stop. I glance back at Hinata to see if she's okay. But I don't see her. Panic strikes me.

Our blades meet again. "Stay focused."

"You've got more than three people." I smirk and continue to push my weapon against his. "Ambush?"

His eyes betray nothing. My angry flares. This is just not my day.

I hear a yelp and turn to see Hinata with a dagger at her neck. "Hinata!"

"Sakura!" I turn left and see Ino caught too.

My grip slips and he has me, my back to his with his blade at my neck, my weapon landing soundly on the forest floor. He's fast.

I can feel his breath on my ear. "Look, you weren't fighting seriously. Now you're dead."

I grit my teeth, clenching my jaw down until it hurts. "Go ahead and kill me. But let the other two go."

"Hey now," I hear another unfamiliar male voice. "Let's not kill her. I think she's pretty enough to live."

"Tell me your name." his breath blows against my ear, a very warm breath. I shiver unconsciously.

I stay silent before saying, "Sakura." He lifts the blade higher and I angle my chin up. Shiro, I really hate you right now. The man behind me turns me around so I face him. I give a glare.

"How old are you?"

"19."

"Why are you carrying a weapon around with you?"

"I could ask the same to you." I raise and brow at him and he frowns.

"You are in no position to ask me."

"Oh?"

I kneed him, hard, right in his soft spot. He instantly fell to the ground, groaning in pain. I quickly reached for my sword and straddled the man's waist. Pointing the sword to his neck, I smirk in triumph. "I win."

"That was dirty." His hoarse voice is the result of my knee slamming into his jewels.

I smirk and lean down to whisper. "Fighting doesn't have rules. You can fight as dirty as you want as long as you win."

I hear laughing and push the blade closer to his neck. It's not his laughing. I know this laugh. Looking up, I turn and face the blond idiot from Unit 2.

"Man, Sakura got you good teme. She is Shiro's daughter after all. No wonder she beat you. Smarts win all!"

The man below me mutters. "How can you talk about smarts when you have absolutely none?"

I glare at the blond. Getting off of the red eyed man, I stomped toward the blond. "NARUTO."

He laughs sheepishly and backs back a few steps. "Sakura-chan... uhhh... I can explain about this. I really can. We weren't really going to kill you!"

I smack him upside the head and slap him across the face. "YOU IDIOT! What would you have done if someone was actually hurt?"

Another familiar voice scoffed. "You hit him cause of that? I thought it was because you were scared."

I could see who it was now. "Kiba... you little fucker..."

He grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Long time no see Sakura."

I turned to see another man, the one who was holding Ino hostage. Jet black hair and pale skin. He smiled and released Hinata when I glared at him. I turned back to the other man and saw him standing against a tree. Onxy black hair with a blue hue, pale skin, red eyes, dark clothing, lean figure. No wonder I couldn't see him in the dark. He was wearing black. This man was the one I kneed, and it looked like he had recovered from his weakened state.

"How do your balls feel?" I ask him innocently.

He glares and crosses his arms. "Thanks to you, aching in pain."

"I'm told I have iron hard legs." I smirk and slide my sword back into the sheathe. I turn to the other black haired man. He gives me another smile.

"My name is Sai. Nice you meet you. For the time being, I'm in Unit 2."

Then I turn back to the man leaning against the tree. He blinked and his eyes faded to a dark ebony. I point my sheathed sword at him and ask, "And you, whats your name."

He smirks, his eyes glinting from the fire's light. "Uchiha Sasuke. I'm temporarily in Unit 2."

Dear lord... please help me get through this day.

.

.

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><p><em>I'll try and update as soon as possible on this story. Anyway, thanks for reading Lust And I hope you liked it!<em>

_EnigmaLight- 8:22_


	3. Idiots

_Hey, been a while? Okay I'll make this note short this time. I don't have anything to say anyhow. Anyway, sorry about my update... I said Friday but it came out later than expected. Oh well, don't hate me..._

_Summary: He pisses me off. I annoyed him. He makes me giddy. I leave him wanting me. But it's all useless. Because were both taking the exam and being a Dragon slayer forbids the "Sex Factor". Obviously, we don't give a damn._

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><p><em>Lust<em>

_Idiots_

_._

_._

The air was tense. I switched my gaze from our group to the men. The distance was unbearable. Our Unit sat together and the guys sat in front of us, Sasuke smirked at me all the while we sat in silence. The only noise heard was the wind whistling and the fire crackling. Let us get through this Kami-sama.

"So," Ino's attempt to make small talk all caught our eyes. "Where's Ryuu? Wasn't he suppose to help out at the tavern then come find us?"

I pulled out a silver whistle and put the tip to my lips. It was taking Ryuu a long time...

"Should we go look for him?" Hinata pursed her lips and clutched her hands tight.

I inhaled deeply then reversed the direction of air into the whistle. A silent high-pitched wail came from the metal in my fingers.

"What exactly did you do?" Sasuke glanced over at me and smirked. "Call someone?"

His smirks irritated me. If only I could wipe it off him damn ass face. Better yet, slash my sword through that handsome face of his.

I pocketed the little whistle back in its rightful place and leaned back against the tree trunk. "He's coming. Or he better be."

"Who exactly is 'Ryuu'?" Sai asked, his eyes not glancing up from his paper.

"Ryuu's my partner. He's also part of Unit 3. We'll go look for him when morning comes." I peered over to get a better look at what he was drawing. "What are you drawing Sai?"

He answers again without meeting my eyes. "A picture."

I roll me eyes. "Wow, you're so descriptive."

"I'm better at expressing things on paper." He finally looks at me. "You're hair is an unusual color, pink. You're eyes are unusual too."

I flinch. How many times have I heard that before? "I was born like this. I got it... f-from my Oka-san."

The atmosphere grew tense again. Great...

"Haha... Uhhm... Why don't we get some shut eye?" Ino laughed sheepishly.

No one said anything. Everyone went to go spread out their bedding but Sasuke and I.

I threw my blanket at Ino, which landed right at her forehead. "Share with Hinata. I'll take the first watch."

Hinata frowned. "You took watch last night. Don't over do it Sakura."

"Sakura-chan~ Come and sleep!" Naruto patted the space next to him. "There's a nice spot right here, waiting to be warmed up!"

"I'd rather stay up. I'm not tired."

Ino yawned. "You always say that. Can't you just take a break?" She rested her arm comfortably behind her head. "Just sleep your worries away."

"Oh hush already. Tomorrow we're heading back to town, Ryuu's waiting for us." I sat down on the leafy forest floor and leaned comfortably back against the trunk. "So shut up and get some sleep."

Naruto furrowed his brows but said nothing, plopping straight down on his bedding. I glanced over at Sai, who was probably already sleeping. Only Sasuke and I were left still awake. He hadn't made a move to his bag yet. That bothered me.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" I peered over at him from the corner of my eye. I was surprised to see him staring at me, his lips hitched up in a slight smirk. Now that _really_ bothered me.

He chuckled and leaned back, his gaze now at the canopy of leaves overhead, the moon's light leaked through the openings. "I'll stay up with you. It's not very gentlemanly of me to let a woman take watch while I sleep, is it?"

I could hear the mocking tone drip from his tone. A gentleman wouldn't attack a group of girls in the first place... I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my cheek on my knees. "Give me a better excuse."

"What do you wish me to say?" His smirk never faded.

I huffed a sigh and closed my eyes slightly. "Say you're an ass."

"Now, now. Don't make me say lies."

I frowned. "But it's the truth."

"Oh come on, this conversation is starting to drag. Entertain me."

"Quit changing the subject." I lifted my cheek off my knees and looked him straight in the eye. "Why won't you go to sleep?"

His smirk deepened. "Is it bad that I desire to get to know you better?"

I shivered at his tone. 'Get to know you better'... was he implying something? No, he was _totally _implying something. If I knew him better, I'd know he was implying something...

"Ah!" the sudden noise brought my attention back over to him. "You want to get to know me better too right? Well... then let's play a game."

I quirked a brow. "Why a game? And who ever said I wanted to know you better?"

"You were thinking it though, weren't you?" His words make me realize my earlier thoughts. Heat rose up my face.

I opened my mouth to protest, but got ignored. He continued with his sentence. "This'll keep you awake. I swear."

Keep me awake? What was he talking about? "I don't understand what you are referring to."

"There's two parts to the game. First you and the other person take turns asking questions about each other. Get to know them really well. Then in the second part you take a test about your partner and everything you know about them." He smirks. "If you fail to remember something about them, you'll get penalties until you can answer them all correctly."

I frown, my eyes droop. "That sounds hard... Trying to remember every little thing about you... I don't think I can do that..."

He didn't say anything, only got up to sit in front of me. I questioned his movements by lifting a brow.

"Okay lets start." He smirks and relaxes in front of me. "What's your favorite color?"

"Who said I had-"

"You don't have a choice." His eyes flickered back to those crimson orbs from before.

"Alright!" I hissed and laid my chin on my knees. "Red. What about you?"

"Blue." He smirks and looks me dead in the eye. "Family members?"

I hesitate. No, I'm gonna beat him at this. "They're dead. You?"

"A brother.

"Age?" I ask him.

"21. When's your birth date?"

"March 28th."

"Oh? Mine's July 23rd." He chuckles and stretches his long legs out in front of him, his feet near mine.

I ponder for a second before asking, "Where do you live?"

"In the Gander region, in the kingdom."

Wow, in the kingdom? "I live in Clarines. It's about a week from here up north more."

"Hn, what kind of men provoke you?"

Now it was my turn to smirk. "Men that are mysterious, douchy, ass-ish-"

"Never mind," He rubbed his temples and frowned. "It's sounds like you were mentioning me."

Not_ sounds _like... I _was_ referring to you... I play with some leaves and ask the next question, "What woman interest you?"

"Don't think I have any _types_ of woman that interest me." He tapped his chin, his brows furrowing on his forehead. I almost laughed at how serious he was taking this question.

I let out a small 'Ahem' to get his attention. "Lets skip that one. Close combat or distance?"

"Close combat. You?"

"Same."

"Oh? We have so much in common." His voice was mocking again. Sarcasm, his second unpleasant feature.

I roll my eyes. Stretching out my legs, he asked me the next question, "Ever been in a serious relationship?"

"No," Then I remembered the man, the man who I haven't met since I was six. No way, he was like, twelve years older than me. "Not that I can recall."

"Hn, guess we're in the same boat." He shrugs and leans his weight on his arms, his head looking back up at the shelter above us.

In the same boat? My ass, there was no way he and I were in the same boat! "Why are all-"

"Quiz time." He straightens from his position, his eyes gleaming with a mysterious glow. He leans in close, so close our breaths fuse with one another. I don't waver at his notions. "When's my birth date?"

I freeze. I only remembered something about March... March...

"March 24th?" I take a wild guess. Then I realized that I was going to get a penalty. Shit... My eyes widen when he smirk grows.

"So close." His aura radiates an eerie feel.

It happened in a blur. His lips crashed on mine, I stared in a stunned daze, and he had me pinned against the trunk with no escape.

Air... I couldn't breathe.

He released our lip lock and I let out a gasp. He snickered. "Did you forget to breathe?"

I was already panting, heavily at that. I gaped at him while he set his forehead gently on mine. "Wh... What ar... What are you...?"

"Keep guessing, or I'll keep playing with you." He locked our lips again before I could close my mouth. I could feel something warm invading my mouth. I realized it was his tongue. My hands pushed against his shoulders with no use. He was much stronger than me, and I obviously was at a disadvantage.

My mind went blank, I couldn't think. Then I felt his hand snake up my hip, under my thin beige hunting jacket.

I gasped again. "S-st..." I couldn't even say a word, much less a sentence.

"Come now, I won't stop unless you get the questions right." His hand, which was very cold, ran up my stomach. I shivered at his touch. "What's my favorite color?"

He continued with our lip lock. I gave in, seeing as I couldn't move. Answering the questions was my best chance.

His hand continued north. My breath hitched when he reached my breasts, his hand firm on one mound covered in bandages. His head dropped to my neck, lightly sucking on my pulse. I let out a moan.

"Hey," He looks up at me and I hazily glance at him. "If you make too much noise, your teammates will hear us..." He smirks.

Shit, I forgot they were there. He was adding my disadvantages up. Son of a...

My breath hitches again as he firmly kneads my mound. He notices the lack of room he has and drags the zipper down my chest. His eyes lingered on my body, I flushed even darker.

His mouth attacks my neck again, licking the right side. I lean to my left, letting out a small moan.

I gasp as he kneads harder. "Blue...!"

I could feel him smirk against my skin. "What about blue?"

"It's your favorite color...!" I pant, letting out small puffs of air. My sweat drips from my chin, he follows the small drop of liquid until in disappeared behind my chest bindings.

His left hand drops down to my thigh. Shocked, I push him away again with no avail. He lifts me up so I sit on his lap with my back to his chest. I start to feel the bandages on my chest binding slipping and something pool in the pit of my abdomen.

He reaches between my thighs. I try to squeeze them together so he can't advance, but he's able to get them apart anyhow.

"How many family members do I have...?" He breathed against my neck, his breath warm, unsteady, staggered.

I leaned back against him, trying to keep my voice low. Everything around me seemed to be spinning. I got so dizzy that I shut my eyes and partly from what his hands were doing to me.

He rubbed the joint between my legs.

"One!" I gasped. His other hand played with my nipples. Was it always this hot...?

I felt his chest quake. "Good, what's my height?"

I blanked again as his finger rubbed me, his breathing was as staggered as mine. After a while of thinking, or trying to, I remembered he had never told me. "Pl...Playing... di-dirty n-now...?" I managed to puff out.

A sudden spark ran through me. I almost screamed if it weren't for his hand darting over my mouth. "You're getting too loud."

"How... i-is that my fa-fault...?" I felt his finger rub me harder through the fabric of my pants. I clamped my legs tight together. "No!"

"Shhh, they'll wake up if you don't quiet down." He smirked against my neck. His fingers did wonders on me that I had to grab something, something so it felt like I wasn't floating away.

I ended up grasping his wrist, the one in between my legs.

It was hot, unbearable hot. I kept letting out noises I never knew I could make, that disturbed me, but what disturbed me more was how we got into this situation. First we were playing a harmless game, then next, Sasuke's pleasuring me. Then I realized it.

"You," I gasped in between as his left hand darted inside my pants. "planned this out?"

He chuckled but said nothing. I felt his hand going lower to the joint between my legs again.

Then, he touched me. Not with fabric in between my legs, but actual _touching._

"Dear Lord-"

He chuckled and toyed with my insides. "You're wet and tight. Just how much can I stuff into you before you rip?"

He plundged another digit inside, I bit my lip from screaming out.

He was deep inside me, actively thrusting his fingers in and out of me. I grabbed his right arm to steady myself.

"Next question, are you enjoying this?"

Another gasp, "Haa..."

He tipped my chin up and a little to the left. Staring at him through my heavy lids, he crashed our lips together once more before I was engulfed in the sunburst.

.

.

_I sat near the road, the long blades of grass swished around me. I yawned and leaned back, looking up at the blue sky. The clouds slowly inched across the blue sea and the sound of the plains eased me, the soft cricket chirps would resound around me. I had already waited a long time for him to come. Maybe he was busy today._

_Suddenly, light horse clops came from down the road. I jumped up and stared in surprise as I saw him ride down the lane. _

"_Have you been waiting long?" I smiled. Even though he had a busy schedule, he came out to see me. _

_I gave him my brightest smile. "No, I was just listening to the crickets."_

_He laughs and daintily drops from atop the horse. "You're covered in grass blades." I blush and dust them off me. He reaches on the other side of the horse and pulls out a basket of food. "Are you hungry?"_

"_Mhm!"_

_We sit and eat in the grass after he has spread out a sheet on the flat land of grass. I reach for a nicely cut sandwich and bite into it._

"_Sakura," I look up from my sandwich and and raise a brow in curiosity. "Do you have any siblings?"_

"_No."_

_He sighs and pulls out a ribbon, tying up my hair so it was no longer blowing in my face. "You're hair is so long."_

_I looked back at him. "I think it makes me seem more girly. Does it not?"_

"_No, it's beautiful," He smiled and laid down beside me. "But you shouldn't leave it down all the time, is what I'm saying. You should try new hair styles, like the elegant ladies in the kingdom."_

_I blush. "I'm not at the age yet..."_

"_So?" His sudden answer makes me stare at him in shock. "Who cares? Don't you want to feel girly?" I nod and stuff the rest of the sandwich into my mouth. "Then dress up and act like one. Who says you can't?"_

"_I guess what you say makes a little sense..." I mutter. He laughs and tells me how modest I am._

"_I have a little brother," He smiled as he told me this. "He's about the same age as you, but he and I never get along."_

_I munch on a slice of apple and ask him why, "I think he hates me because our parents died a few years ago and I wasn't there at his time of need."_

"_Maybe," My blunt answer made him sigh. "But, he might actually be happy that your back but can't express his happiness. If you were my brother, everyday would be fun."_

_He laughed again. "You're such a cute girl, Sakura." I blush and swallowed the remains of the slice of apple. "If I can, I'd like to bring my brother here to meet you."_

"_Really? I could get to meet your little brother?" I gazed down at him and see him smiling again._

"_Yes, you can meet my little brother."_

_I smiled and clapped my hands together. "Hehe, I can't wait!"_

_He reached into the basket and felt around it for a while. I questioned his actions until he sat up and looked at me. "You ate it all?"_

_I noticed I had since I was nervous at what he was telling me. "Sorry... I was hungry."_

_He laughs and pats my head. _

_His hand was on my head, yet his eyes had this distant look, one I could never comprehend._

_._

_._

I woke the next morning, fully clothed and sitting against the same tree. All my clothes were exactly as they were before we played that game. I hazily glanced up to meet coal black eyes.

"Morning, did you have a good night's rest?" His face was emotionless but I blushed remembering last night.

"We didn't... really... do that... right?" I stared at my lap and noticed my chest bindings were tight around my chest. I glanced back up and saw him quirk a brow.

"What are you talking about?" He pitched a branch into the small blaze.

"What do you mean? Did you forget?"

"All I remember from last night was that you said you were taking the first shift. Then we played a game to get to know each other better but fell asleep after you agreed to play the game, so I was awake all night."

A dream? I _had_ that kind of _dream_?

I switched my gaze from the sky back to him. His eyes were crimson red again just like last night before I agreed to play with him, his infamous smirk upon his face again, and his anti-gravitational hair blowing in the early morning air.

"So," he starts to chuckle. "How was that dream last night?"

A dream... it was all a dream. "You made me have that dream didn't you!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice low so that the others wouldn't be woken.

He doesn't change his eyes back to black, just stared at me with those dark crimson orbs. "What ever are you talking about?"

I blushed and remember all the feelings I felt, and how it felt so real. "YOU DID DO THAT!"

"Haaa? Did I get caught?"

I ripped out my sword. "IDIOT!"

.

.

After I had woken everyone, we decided to walk back to town and fetch Ryuu since no one could go back to sleep. I kept a firm distance between me and my opposition. He would occasionally look over at me and I would glare back, making him laugh a bit.

"Something happen between 'ya too?" Naruto stepped in pace between us. I shook my head and told him that his Teammate was scum.

Sasuke quirked and brow and moved to stride beside me. "Scum? I don't think that's what you said la-"

"SHUT UP!" My cheeks flushed a bright red.

"Sakura?" I glanced over to Hinata to find her staring at me.

I stuttered. "I-It's nothing..." My smile didn't reassure her.

A firm grip on my shoulder made me turn around to find none other than the man who was making this whole mess even worse. "Sakura-chan..." His voice was velvety, almost like a cat's purr. "Are you denying everything even though I pleased-"

"Oh look!" I pointed up ahead and spotted Ryuu wagging his tail at the forest's clearing. He sat panting happily. "Ryuu!"

I called him over and he sprinted as fast as his legs would let him. After getting tackled, I introduced him to the other Unit. "This is Ryuu, my partner."

"A wolf?" Naruto seemed surprise.

"Yeah, what did you think he was?" I patted Ryuu's head, his chestnut fur soft and pleasant between my fingers.

Sasuke grunted. "He thought it was a guy. A _real _guy, which we know you can never get one."

"Whatever, I can so get a guy." I roll my eyes and stand up, Ryuu moves to sniff Naruto and the others.

We waited for Ryuu to get better acquainted with their scents. I could tell he really liked Kiba. Finally Naruto was the last one. After one sniff, Ryuu growled and chomped down, hard.

"Ow! My hand! Sakura-chan, tell him to let go!"

I laughed. Seemed like Ryuu needed time to get used to them. As do I.

.

.

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><p><em>'Mkay and this concluded the third chapter of Lust!<em>

_THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!_

_EnigmaLight- 4:07_


	4. High Society

_After a week of cramming and studying, I finally finished my mid-terms with high hopes... perhaps. I apologize for this update being very late though, but what can I say... Uhhh... time polishes work? The chapter is also long to make up for my late update. 'Mkay here's the fourth chapter of Lust. Hope ya'll like it!_

_Summary: He pisses me off. I annoyed him. He makes me giddy. I leave him wanting me. But our efforts are useless because were both taking the exam and being a Dragon slayer forbids the "Sex Factor". Obviously, we don't give a damn._

* * *

><p><em>Lust<em>

_High Society_

_._

_._

"Hand it over. _Now_." His eyes portrayed anger, hostility flaring in his coal black orbs.

I had to bite my lip to keep from flinching. His intense gaze bored holes through me. "I uhmm, can't." Turning my head, I directed my eyes anywhere other than at his.

He took a step forward, I retreated a little back until I felt the hard wall against my back. I took a deep breath and thought, _He can't do anything, he can't do anything. _ I flinched when a hand slammed into the space on the wall, inches from my face. His face was so close I breath mingled together.

He stare was intimidating. I tilted my face to look away, even if only a little bit. "Give it to me now, Sakura." His voice told me he wasn't joking. At _all._

I moved the bag behind me, blocking it with my body. "Sorry... You heard what Kiba said, You can't look until we see the client."

Yes a client. We had a woman as a client, and we were told to listen to her story and assist her for what ever reason Shiro explained to us in his letter. We received this letter through his messenger, a petite, nimble, phoenix. Bright scarlet feathers, gleaming black eyes, and a dainty gold beak, it landed gracefully before us while we walked back to town after we had met up with Unit 2. This is what the letter explained:

_**Hello new Unit! Getting along well? I hope you are! **_

_**Ha, so I have even more good news! Everyone will get to meet a person whom I am very well acquainted with. She's the Lady at Chestwester town. You will listen to her problems and do as she asks. Apparently, she was very distressed about some matter, please coopperate with her and obidiantly behave. Don't worry about being at Beaumont late, I sent the other Units through some tough mazes. Hehehe... **_

_**Loves and kisses from SAKURA'S OTOU-SAN! **_

I almost screamed at the last part of his letter. But then again, I guess we're lucky not to get stuck in some maze around the continent. Knowing Shiro, he sent them through hell... Hence the _Hehehe..._ part of the message.

With the bird and the letter came a sack with components unknown to even me. We were told not to look or even peek into the bag until we reached Chestwester town. Which was like, two days away. How many days was he going to make us waste? More or less, how many days can we last without looking into the bag?

The situation is kinda ironic, isn't it. So here I am, trapped with my back against the wall and Sasuke towering above me. Why the hell was I so short compared to his height of like, 6'4?

"Give it to me. I'll look over it so you don't peek inside." His gaze prickled at my skin.

I fidgeted under his gaze. I could feel his breath on my face. I remembered that dumb dream he gave me from a few days ago. "Stop talking nonsense. I can perfectly look over this bag without peeking inside. But the real question is, can you?" I ask him and he snorts loudly.

"No shit. Knowing you, your hands will one day subconsciously open the sack and make the client hate us, in turn, Shiro will butcher us."

I shrug."Meh, he'll butcher you." Then I shiver. "I most likely will get tortured with a five minute long hug."

He bonked our foreheads together hard. I yelped. "Then don't look, or everyones going to die."

"You don't have to tell me, ass." I murmured as he walked back over to the group.

"You say something?"

"I said I hate your hair." I huffed and crossed my arms. He quirked a brow.

"Your lying 'cause you love _every_ part of me." He smirks and walks away again, his back exposed for my glares. Obviously, he wasn't affected by them.

"Stupid son of a bitch!" I groan and stomp the ground angrily.

.

.

When we reached the town again, we decided to restock on supplies for the journey ahead of us. Ino insisted she go with Sai and Kiba to get the bread and fruits. Naruto grabbed Hinata's arm and said they were going to find us a good inn so we can rest easy. So, that left me, Sasuke, and Ryuu together to get the salted meat. We headed to the middle of town to get the fresh ones.

I could hear Ryuu panting at the smell of the pork. Turning to my left, I looked over at Sasuke who was inspecting the item carefully on the shelves. "What kind of meat do you have in mind?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter, as long as its well cut and salted evenly." I placed a hand on Ryuu's head to stop him from jumping at the food. "Ino can't eat meat that has too much salt. But then again, the more salt it has, the longer it'll last us."

"Maybe getting both of each kind would be best." He furrows his brows and continues to stare at his choices.

I frown. "Why are we stuck picking the meat together?" I can feel him lift his gaze from the food and over to me. "I mean, Hinata and I could've gone to get the meat and you and Naruto could've gone to book us rooms in an inn."

He raises a brow and chuckles. "Think about it rationally. If Naruto and I were to go and get he rooms, what would the people think of us? Two guys booking a bunch of rooms together? I don't think that's the image I want."

"We do that all the time..." I mumble and think about all the times Hinata and I have booked rooms together.

"Well," He taps his fingers on the edge of the shelves. "You all together look like close sisters. That's normal, but Naruto and I? Let's not go into details."

I cross my arms and heave a sigh. "Lets just hurry and get back to the others."

"You don't like being with me?" He frowns in fake pain. "That's heart breaking."

"Excuse me," We both look up at the old man attending to the meat shelves. "Are you two an item?"

The elderly man smiles. I on the other hand drop my jaw. "N-n-n-no! We're just-"

"Actually," A large hand on my shoulder pulls me close to Sasuke. I look up and see him smiling, a smile that makes me shiver subconsciously. "We are, she's just shy since we've been friends for so long. I guess she's not used to it."

_Friends? Used to it? _My ass! "We're-"

He pulls me against his chest to stop from talking. Hard steely arms wrap themselves around my waist to stop me from struggling. I glance up once again and see that his smile has deepened. Not wanting to get teased again, I cease to resist and stay in his arms.

I heard him talking to the old man about things that were obviously lies. I took a deep breath to calm my beating heart but then realized that he smelled different. He smelled like the wilderness, exciting yet it was pleasant. He didn't smell anything like Ino or Hinata. And it was warm, very warm. I could feel the strength from his arms just being around me. Every now and then, I could feel him chest vibrate, signaling he was laughing.

I sighed and placed my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes.

Being like this reminded me of him. What was love? Was it having sexual intercourse with someone? Or was it more simple, like growing old together and pledging to stay with them until death brought them apart? Was that love?

Taking this exam has a lot of regrets to it. No love, no time to play. It's all about studying and training to be the best. Was this exam worth it? Missing all the little things in life I have yet to see?

"Sakura?"

I gasped. I had forgotten I was buying meat with Sasuke. I looked up and found him gazing down at me. Ryuu's whines were heard in the background as Sasuke asked which meat I wanted to buy.

"A-any's fine..." I moved away from his arms and hid my burning face from Sasuke, who was pointing to a slab of meat.

After we had paid, the old man smiled. "Enjoy your youth as much as you can."

There was another word, youth. What did that mean as well?

Love, life, youth, death, fear. Those are the five words I can't comprehend.

We walked down the street packed with families buying and bargaining from merchants. Sasuke grabbed my hand. First I protested, but then I realized he was trying to keep us together. I kept a hand on Ryuu's collar and we walked through the crowd.

I could hear some women whispering our direction. Mostly things about Sasuke and I holding hands. Then they went on about how he looked and other things. I let my mind wander about the five words.

Life was something given to you. You only get one life, so cherish it, I guess. Youth is a time in your life that let's you live life at its fullest. But is that really right? Fear. I remember Shiro telling us one time in a lesson that fear is needed to be able to fight on the battlefield. Then death, the last thing that happens in a lifetime.

There has to be more things to understand than just those basics...

I felt someone yank me to the right. "Oi, stop spacing out." Looking up, Sasuke had pulled us onto the side of the street to avoid getting separated.

"Sorry," I apologize to Sasuke and we continue walking again. I look down and see Ryuu whimpering. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired."

I could feel Sasuke's eyes on me as we continued to walk.

.

.

We met up with the other and were checking into the inn. Apparently, Naruto and Hinata had only booked four rooms...

"Two to a room. You pick who you're with I guess." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

My eyes darted over to Hinata. "I'll go with-"

I was pulled up the stairs by none other than the devil himself. "You and I are sharing a room."

"Huh?"

Ino giggled. "Don't do anything inappropriate you two!"

"WHAT?" I gawked but was pulled up the stairs and into the first room on the right.

I gawked even more at the room. Polished wood floors, clean windows, a large bed. The bathroom was speck and clean. I dropped my bag and sword on the side of the bed and flopped down on the bed. Engulfed in the softness of silk and cotton, I rolled around and sighed dreamily.

The bed leaned as Sasuke sat beside me. I looked up and smiled. "They picked a nice inn."

"I'm glad you liked the bed." He looked out the window so I couldn't see his face. "'Cause we're going to be sleeping in this exact bed."

I realized what he said. Both of us, in the same room, in the same bed, close together...

I flushed and turned on my side. He was inches away from me. I closed my eyes and prayed that he wouldn't look over here.

I darted up at the slightest movement of something on my arm. "W-wha...?" I looked directly into his eyes, my face heating up even more.

"Wow," He poked my arm again and I flinched. I wrapped my hand around the spot where he touched me. "You're squishy."

I stared at him dumbstruck. _Squishy? Me? _ I thought I had muscles? I felt my arm and could feel my muscles as I flexed my arm. I looked up at him and raised a brow. "_Squishy? _I have muscles."

I flexed my arm again to show him. He laughed and poked my arm again. Then he put an arm around my body and pulled me down on the mattress. I yelped and laid stock still as he nuzzled the joint between my neck. "You're as soft as a pillow."

"A _pillow?_" I struggled in his hold. "Excuse me but I am a living _human_. More importantly, I'm a girl."

"Not a woman?"

"What ever!" I huffed and continued to try and move away from him. "Anyway, release me _now_!"

His grip tightened around me. "I refuse."

I flushed at our position. His face was so close that our breath intertwined together. His heartbeat, steady and even did not match against my racing and thumping pulse. His hand, on the middle of my back, held me from moving away. I squirmed again and he pulled me even closer than before.

It was warm, no, it was burning up. I closed my eyes and tried to steady my accelerating heart. Him whispering things against my neck was not helping me calm down at all.

I felt his chest rumble. "Now tell me what was bothering you."

I froze. For a minute, I thought I had stopped breathing. "W-what are you talking about?" I laughed and clutched his navy blue shirt tighter. "You've been acting weird Sasuke, did you eat a weird apple this morning?"

Suddenly he flipped our positions so that I was pinned down below him. I gasped at how fast he was able to flip me. He hovered above me with both of his hand on either side of my head. His face didn't betray a single emotion other than the fact that he was pissed.

"W-what are you...?"

He leaned his face closer again. I could feel his breath against my cheeks. "You spaced out while we were in town."

I froze again. I couldn't tell him I had doubts about the exam, if I did, he might consider me a failure. A failure as the adopted daughter of Yukimura Shiro, the current head of the entire association.

Shiro had already been in trouble when he adopted me when I was six. The entire council was against it, saying the leader of the association was prohibited from having children. I felt so guilty because they even dared to drop his rank and select a new head. But he said he didn't care and decided to quit being the head just to adopt me. At that time, we were going through rough times with the tamers and they couldn't afford to be leaderless. So they let Shiro adopt me but in turn, Shiro couldn't disobey the council. But he still manages to find loopholes.

He went through so much trouble to save me. And now, if I say I don't want to be a slayer, but an ordinary girl, I'm sure Shiro would be punished again.

I looked directly into his eyes and bit my lip. "I-it's nothing."

"You suck at lying."

"I'm serious." I laughed and tried to move my legs. "Nothing's bothering me."

He sighs and stares at me, his brows furrowing. Then he whispered something very softly. "You really haven't changed. Still the same annoying brat..."

"Huh?"

He removed himself from me and sat on the side of the bed, a hand running through his inky tresses. "Nothing."

.

.

_I remember the day he brought me over to his house. It was amazing. A large stone built manor with oak trees scattered around the yard. The grass was bright emerald, unlike the dying yellow grass in the woods. The small creek in the front was clear, the water translucent. And there were so many horses._

"_Wow!" He helped me out the carriage and gently plopped me back on the ground. I gawked at how big his house was. He had said it was average sized. He obviously lied to make it more exciting when I got here._

_He smiled and tipped his hat at the carriage driver. "Thank you. Sakura, what do you think?"_

_I whirled around and smiled. "Your house is amazing! So this is what a house in the kingdom is like?"_

_He laughed and ushered me into the manor. "Come now. The longer you stay dazed, the less time we have to play."_

"_Uh!"_

_He showed me a bunch of rooms. All were amazing. There was one room that seemed to be occupied other than his room. I asked him whose it was. He replied, saying it was his little brother's room. _

"_Where is your brother?" I asked as sat watching the horses run across the field. "Is he out?"_

_He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I think so. He hates being around when we have guests. He should be back around noon."_

"_So can I meet him?" I darted up from my spot on the rock and continued to pester him. "Can I?"_

"_Yes." He chuckled and patted my head. "I'll be sure he can't escape the house when he gets back."_

"_I don't want you to force him..."_

"_Well, he might not meet you if I don't... Ah! Why don't I lift you on one of our horses while we wait for him to get back?" He smiled and stood from the rock. I gasped and nodded excitedly. _

_We waited until the sun set. He never came though..._

_Our worlds, were totally opposite. He lived in a world around politics, in the top part of society._

_And me? I lived at the very bottom. Just a normal citizen living in a small village._

_No wonder he stopped visiting me..._

_._

_._

Sasuke and I sat in front of each other. I frowned at how quiet everything was. Everyone had eaten already so Sasuke and I were the only ones left to dine on the inn's food. Its was also pretty late, so Sasuke and I were pretty much alone. That made it even more awkward.

I brought the spoon into my mouth and chewed on the carrots and potatoes in the stew. Looking up, I watched as Sasuke ate. I think I pissed him off...

I tried to lighten the mood by starting a conversation. "So... Apparently in my dream, you said you had a brother," Upon hearing me talk, he looked up abruptly. "What's he like?"

He stopped eating, his bangs hid his face from my view. I tilted my head and looked at him again. "Sasuke?"

"You," He looked at me and frowned. "Really need to ask that?"

"Huh?"

He stood up and and then pushed in his chair. "Thanks for the food."

"Sasuke?" I watched as he disappeared up the stairs, not turning around once to look at me. I sighed and banged my head hard against the table. "This day sucks..."

After I had finished the stew and bread, I thanked the innkeeper and headed upstairs. Back to awkwardness. When I got back into our room, the room was dark. The only light room in the room was a small candle on the side of the bed. I could see Sasuke's body silhouetted by the candle's fire. His laid on the bed, on his side and away from me.

I slipped off my boots and slid the silver band off my arm. I placed my boots by the bed and my band on the table beside me. Quietly so I didn't wake him, I slipped under the sheets and turned on my side. I blew out the candle and sighed silently.

"Night Sasuke." I whispered, probably too quiet for him to hear.

.

.

I woke up the next morning with warmth all around me. I moaned and lifted my heavy lids to be greeted by the morning rays filtering through the windows. When my vision finally cease to blur, I stopped myself from yawning. Right in front of me was Sasuke's sleeping face.

I flushed. Slowly, I tried to move away, but was pulled back by an steely hard arm on my waist. I waited for him to wake, but he just grumbled and pulled me closer.

I sighed and stayed in his arms. It must've been cold or something. I let my eyes wander at his face. A muscular jaw, high cheek bones, and pale skin. His breathing was lazy, sluggish, signaling he was actually asleep. His chest was hard yet soft at the same time. His hair, spiked up in the back, looked silky soft. I slowly reached up a hand and touched his hair. I used to think the back of his tresses were hard and spiky, but it was actually very feathery.

I smiled and whispered, "You piss me off Sasuke."

.

.

We set out a few hours after I had awoken. Chestwester was Northwest from here, a few days away. I remember going there once when I was around seven. Shiro had brought us there since he had papers to pick up from a woman. I really don't remember who she was. The town was very beautiful.

We walked until the sun set and set up camp on the grassy plains. It was amazing. Just a few hours ago we were in woodland country, now we're on the plains.

We took out the meat and sliced some for each of us.

I handed Ino her's. She declined. "I don't wanna gain weight."

"You need meat to regain the energy you lost from walking." I sat down next to her.

Ino chuckled and hugged Ryuu. "If you keep thinking that, you'll stay soft and squishy forever."

_Squishy. _I had heard that word again. I looked over at Sasuke and he smirked at me. Glaring back at him, I tore off a piece of meat with my teeth and munched on it.

"Told you. Squishy it is" He chuckled and finished his food. Then he dusted off his hands and continued to hold my gaze. "Why must you deny it so much?"

"Wait," Ino looked over at Sasuke and raised a brow. "How do you know she's squishy? For heavens' sake, did you two do 'it'?" She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, hard.

Startled by her sudden accusation, I stood up and felt my face start to burn. "Will you hush!"

"Was I wrong?"

"Absolutely!"

"But you two get along so well!" She smiled and nudged my elbow. "Ne, ne. Is he your type?" He voice was low enough only for me to hear.

I gag and pinch her cheeks. She yelps and nurses her aching cheek. I blush and shake my head, trying to forget this conversation, but she just kept badgering me about him.

I finally got sick of it and went to go clear my head a little ways from our campsite. Sitting down in the grass, I stretched out my legs and stared up at the starry sky. Soon my neck started to ache from looking up at the sky, so I laid down in the grass and listened to the crickets chirping away. The cool night breeze blew on the grass, making them shift.

Doubt, I had never felt doubt about the exam until today. Why...? I groaned and rolled around in the grass. The sky slowly moved as time continued to pass by me. No, I have to focus on the exam. We only had a few months until we reached Beaumont. From all the things dragging us off course, we'd probably make it there by late spring. Now was late fall, yet it wasn't getting colder at all. Maybe winter was coming late this year?

I thought back to the exam and sighed. I rolled around a few more times and played with the grass. "What is love... What is life... why are we living...?"

"Is that what's been bothering you?" I darted up and stared at the man before me. He walked over and sat down beside me. I felt my body stiffen as he looked straight into my face. "Why did you tell me before?"

I glared at the ground and huffed. "Why did I have to tell you?"

"Think about it rationally." He stared up at the same starry sky that I was looking up at. "If someone suddenly attacked us while we were out traveling, what would happen if one person was spacing out and got taken hostage?"

I realized what he was talking about and mumbled an apology. He was right, if someone was taken hostage, the entire group would have been in danger. "I'm just confused."

It was silent for a while. It wasn't a bad silence, it was actually comforting.

Then he finally spoke. "Did you have time to think about it?"

"Y-yeah... but I can't come up with anything. None of my logic points me onto the right path about... anything..." I laid back down and threw some grass bits into the air. They floated some ways away from us.

He sighed and pointed to the sky. "Why do we have the sky? Where are dragons born? Why do they feel a need to hurt us?"

My head spun. "You aren't helping!"

He laughed and flicked my forehead. "Think about it this way. Most things are better left unknown."

"Huh?" I put a hand on my forehead and gaze over at him once again.

"Secrets are secrets." The stars twinkled above us as he spoke. "We rely on other people to know them. And we also rely on other people to make them. That's how life is. You want to know what love is like right?"

I nodded and he patted my head. I froze. This feeling, was so much like...

"Don't forget that feeling. You liked it didn't you?" He stood up and dusted off his pants. Then he walked back to the campsite, his back mine to stare at.

The two looked so alike. The same onyx black hair, pale white skin, muscular build. The same velvety voice... No, there was no way they were the same people. That was impossible. Sasuke said he was 21. The other man was around 18 when I was six. Maybe they just looked the same. They acted nothing alike either. Sasuke was an ass... nothing like the kind man from my memories.

"Gah I hate this!" I ran a hand through my hair. He just made me think about more things. Not any help at all...

"Sakura," I looked up and saw Hinata jog over to me. She bent over and smiled. "what's this I heard about you and Sasuke?"

Did she see Sasuke walk over here? I panicked and laughed nervously. "N-nothing is going on between u-us...! I just..."

"Mhmm?" She sat down next to me and poked at the grass.

I sighed and gave into her puppy eyes. "I learned about something I shouldn't have. And Sasuke wasn't helping me, I think he made it worse..."

"I don't think so," I glanced over at her and she smiled happily. "Compared to before, you seem less bothered."

"You're crazy Hinata. There's no way he helped..." I patted her back and smiled reassuringly. "Well I'm fine now so lets get some sleep before dawn comes. Okay?"

She nods and we walked back to the camp. I laughed at what I saw as we came back. Ino had pinned Naruto to the ground with her sword at his neck. He had eaten the last of the bread and she flipped. Typical Ino for you. The rest of the night we laughed and told stories. Just like that, I forgot all about what was fogging up my head.

.

.

We reached Chestwester the next day. My memory was really good. Everything was exactly as I remembered it was. Merchants were selling products on the side of the main road, people walked about chatting on the latest news, and children ran around playing in the streets.

"Where was her house again?" Kiba pulled out the letter and scanned through the lines again.

"Down a street and then right. It's the large manor."

We walked, passing children, cat, dogs, and women once again whispering. Oh the very right was a large manor, made of old stone and moss dotting the walls. A large willow tree hovered over the barn. Horses neighed from inside and cows mooed. Chickens clucked and we heard sheep too. What an amazing amount of livestock they had.

We stepped foot through the gate and was greeted by the man watching over the manor. "You are the group helping Hiro-san, correct?"

I nodded and he showed us into the house. The light was a lot brighter than in most places. I guess this lady had more money to throw around then we did.

He showed us into a large dining room and asked if we wanted anything to eat. Naruto asked for meat, but we stopped him from finishing his sentence. We didn't want to impose so we all stood, waiting for the Lady to appear before us.

"This place is huge," Naruto gawked at the walls and the ceiling above him. "Is she the richest Lady in this area?"

"I think so. She owns a bunch of land in the west." I replied.

"I own more land in the east actually."

We whirled around and saw a woman, middle aged, with long black hair reaching her mid-waist. She smiled and walked toward us, her dress almost touching the wood floor beneath us. Her lips were rose red, eyes a beautiful blue hue, his skin a fair cream, and she was tall. Naruto gawked at the woman. I smacked his head and told him to watch his manners.

She laughed and told us to sit, probably this was going to be a long talk. So we did, we sat on one side of the long table and she sat in front of us, her housekeeper beside her.

She pursed her lips and narrowed her brows, thinking carefully. "You still have the bag I gave Shiro-san right?" We nodded and she sighed. "Inside were instructions on what my request is about. Did he tell you to not look inside?"

"He said not to look inside until we saw you. We were supposed to weren't we...?" Kiba sighed and cursed Shiro silently.

I laughed think how that was so much like him. I put the bag on the table and pulled out the piece of paper. "This is it right?"

"Yes," She crossed her arms over her chest, I noticed her chest area was quite defined. Then she spoke again. "Etsuko, come in here please."

The door behind us opened and a pretty woman walked in. She seemed pretty young. Her hair was a dark brown tied in a neat bun atop her head and her eyes were also bright blue. His skin was pale, showing that she didn't go out much. Brown curls bounced around her heart-shaped face as she walked over. She bowed in front of us and took her place beside Hiro-san.

"Etsuko is having a little problem." Hiro-san sighed and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "She needs one of you to pretend to be her partner for the up coming party. I also need some of you to watch over the party and make sure everyone on the guest list is here. Everyone should be here but I just want to make sure that no one else sneaks in."

Etsuko smiled sheepishly and fiddled with her fingers. "I know you guys are in the exam... sorry."

Kiba sighed and crossed his arms. "It's all good. Shiro-san is making the other teams go through hell so I guess this would be better."

She giggled and said her thanks.

"Uhmm, who's going to be her partner?" I whispered over to the men. They all mumbled and Sai nominated Sasuke. Naruto argued about that and said he wanted to do it. "Why don't we let her choose?"

I glanced over at Etsuko. She blinked and blushed. "U-uhmm, it's fine really... I don't mind who becomes my partner..."

"Naruto your out..." Kiba snickered and the blond protested. "You're supposed to protect her, think you can do it?"

"Of course!"

"Kiba why don't you do it?" I questioned the brunette.

He laughed and bonked me on the head. "I'm not a society party person. I don't know all of the rules when it comes to these kinds of party."

I glanced over at Sai, "What about you?"

He shook his head and smiled. "I'm not in high society either. When's the party anyhow?"

Hiro-san spoke next. "In a week. Do you think that's enough time to learn about the rules and gestures?"

"I can do it." I whirled around to face Sasuke who was silent the entire time until now. "I know the rules, so it's best if I do it right?"

Kiba patted his back and whispered in his ear, something I couldn't hear. Sasuke then punched him hard on the arm. "Shut up."

Hiro-san laughed and ushered Etsuko to greet Sasuke. She bowed to him and he did the same, his movements graceful and nimble. Etsuko bit her lip and whispered a small 'sorry' to him but he just ignored it, or it looked like he did.

"Alright then, welcome to High Society, Unit two and three." Hiro-san smiled and Etsuko giggled.

I feel like this is just the beginning of our journey... Damn it all...

.

.

I gasped. It hurt so much. I shut my eyes and let out another gasp. "I-Ino, be a little gentler...!"

"I can't!" She protested.

I gulped in another quick breath quick breath as she pulled harder. "I-I'm going t-to di-die...!"

"Sakura, just a bit more!" Hinata chanted, I closed my eyes and sucked in another quick breath. "You're almost there!"

"There!" Ino had pulled the last string and I fell to the ground, the corset around my chest suffocating my body. It was so tight, it hurt to breathe.

I lay there on the floor, trying to catch my breath. "Now for your dress." Ino snickered and I groaned. The dress was a slim brown and red dress with lace outlining the hems of the bottom. First was the torture of the corset, not I have to wear this girly dress?

"It's for the exam, this is better than trecking through a maze in the middle of nowhere..." I uttered to myself.

I stood up and slipped the dress up my legs, then Ino and Hinata tied the strings on the back of the dress. After more pulling, I had the dress on. It. Was. Hell.

"Let us do your hair now." Hinata smiled and I groaned.

"I can leave it down."

Ino chuckled. "Come now, its just a little more. I guess you're not used to this kind of stuff, you being a normal citizen and all."

I sat down in front of the mirror and they pulled my long hair back and began to brush it thoroughly. "I do know a few things. But I always watched the party from afar while Shiro greeted everyone. I've never put on a dress like this... not with the corset and shoes on."

Hinata ran her hand through my hair and lifted in up slightly. "The parties are all for show. It's all about who has the best dress and the best spouse. Well, that's for the women. The men on the other hand talk about the new ladies and who had more land." She brushed my hair once more then twirled it into a bun atop my head, tiny tendrils of pastel pink fell from the side of my head.

She stuck a pink inside my hair and smiled in delight. "You look so pretty Sakura!"

I looked up and got a better look at myself in the mirror. "T-Thanks..."

"Now we wait until the party starts..." Ino muttered and crossed her arms, her deep violet dress swaying ever so lightly. Hinata dusted off her navy blue dress and smiled happily.

Indeed, Only a few more hours until the party started.

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><p><em>That's the END! Well, not the end of the entire story but... you get my drift... I hope... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next chapter!<em>

_EnigmaLight-5:14_


	5. Glass

_I'm just going to skip this and get on with the story. But before I can do that I wanted to say, thank you for the reviews! They make me so happy. So here's the fifth chapter of Lust! _

_Summary: He pisses me off. I annoyed him. He makes me giddy. I leave him wanting me. But our efforts are useless because were both taking the exam and being a Dragon slayer forbids the "Sex Factor". Obviously, we don't give a damn._

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><p><em>Lust<em>

_Glass_

_._

_._

I stared out the window, pink and orange tinting the sky, black clouds began gathering as well. Night would come soon and then the party would kickoff probably with some rain. I slowly reached for my heels and slipped them on my feet. I was probably going to get bruises after this was all over. I adjusted the red rose fabric around my neck and made it comfortably tight. Just a few more minutes and I would go downstairs to greet the guest.

Sasuke, I wonder what he was doing right about now. Was he getting ready to entertain Estuko? Or was he just putting on his outfit?

I reached for my dagger hidden on the outside of my boots and wedged the blade between the silver band around my thigh and my leg. It fit perfectly, snug and tight. I was glad I had brought the band along. It was perfect for hiding weapons under clothing.

I dropped the hems of my dress and readjusted it as to conceal the weapon. My dress flared quite considerably, but not as much as Ino's or Hinata's. It would be easier to move around yet harder to hide weapons.

Ino and Hinata had already went downstairs to tidy up the rest of the refreshments and goods for the guests. They suggested I stay up a little longer until I felt accustomed to the dress and heels. I took a step forward and winced as the back of the shoe rubbed against my foot harshly. Balancing on the heels was also hard.

I slowly inhaled and took another step. Slow and steady, that was how the women in society walked. Act just like them, give nothing away. Bruises and wounds heal but the feeling of failing a mission stayed with you forever.

A knock on the door made me whirl, almost breaking my ankle. "Sakura, the guests have come." Hinata walked in and giggled. "Just take it easy and slow. It's alright to stumble a few times."

"That'd make me the laughing stock of the entire region." I frowned and took a few steps toward her. "You rich people love to make gossip, isn't that right?"

"Oh don't worry! You can just make up a name, no one will know you are related to Shiro." She ushered me out and gestured with a slight curtsy "Just don't mention that you are a Haruno and no one will notice. Besides, you and Shiro look nothing alike."

I sighed and walked out with her. "I hope you're right Hinata."

She giggled and we walked down to the main room. I tried not to gawk at how many people were already here. I also tried not to look at the refreshment table either, but that was very difficult. Clusters of people were already crowding up in the manor. Women walked elegantly across the floor with their bright skirts swishing against their feet, their hair delicately tied up or left to hang on their shoulders.

"Let's go greet the guest with Ino. She's checking the list by the door." Hinata pointed to the door and we walked over, seeing Ino and Kiba together.

As soon as she caught sight of us, she sighed in relief and escorted us over. "Am I glad to see you two! Dear Lord! There are too many guests that Kiba and I can't check them off at once!"

Kiba groaned and pulled us over to help him. He looked exhausted already. "Please help. My eyes hurt from scanning the page fifty-million times... and this Missy here," He pointed to Ino. "doesn't do squat."

I laughed and grabbed a list. Then I walked over to the other side of the door with Hinata and asked the guests for their names. One man stopped me and asked if I would like to chat with him later. "I'll come look for you after I've finished sir."

"Then I will wait." He smiled, his teeth gleaming under the light. "Ask around for Tanaka when you are finished miss."

I smiled and tried to engrave his name into my head. It would be rude if I didn't go greet him after.

Several men approached Hinata while we were checking the list. She would nervously laugh and say that she wasn't who they thought she was. I was surprised that many people knew Hinata and Ino. Well, that was to be expected. They do these kinds of things a lot considering where they grew up from.

Shiro goes to these kinds of things too. His rank makes him very popular with the ladies, or so he's told me. I know he bluffs though. Shiro's very clumsy when it comes to women.

We finished the last of the guests and got them into the manor. I was even more packed then it was before. I remembered to go greet Tanaka-san and asked some women if they knew where he was.

"Tanaka-san?" A woman with light brown curls haughtily laughed. "Why does he want someone like you to greet him? Is that a joke?"

I gritted my teeth and tried to speak calmly. Its obviously was not working. "I was told to greet him after I was done letting the guests in. _It's not a joke_." I smiled sweetly as she frowned.

"There's no way you could catch his attention." I turned and found another woman coming over. Was she going to irritate me too?

She was beautiful. Her hair was as dark as the night sky, and her eyes were a even darker shade of coal. She smirked our way. "There's no way you can catch any man's attention with that kind of attitude."

I realized she wasn't talking to me but the brunette beside me. Offended, the woman huffed and strode swiftly away. I heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at my savior. She smiled back in turn.

"You're looking for Tanaka-san, right?" Her midnight eyes shined on me warmly. I nodded and she pointed to the very back of the room. "He should be over there. I last saw him talking to Hiro-san. May I ask how you grabbed his attention?"

I blinked. "Uhmm, I just greeted him at the door and he asked me to talk with him later."

"That's a huge honor." She smiled and brought her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Kashizawa Fumi. You can call me Fumi."

"I'm Sakura, just Sakura." I held her hand in mine and shook with her. "It's very nice to be acquainted with you Fumi-san."

"Well, I hope we can meet more often, Sakura-san. I must go and greet Hiro-san and thank her for this splendid party." She smiled another dazzling smile and walked into the crowd.

She was very kind. I thought and wandered over to the back of the room. I tried not to ask any women because I didn't want anymore trouble flying around. Who was Tanaka-san anyhow? And if he was so great, why was he interested in someone like me, someone he probably has never heard of before? It was suspicious.

I bumped into something, hard. I looked up and noticed the woman in front of me and dropped her glass. "Oh, ah... I-I'm so sorry!"

She scowled at me. "Hiro-san invited such hooligans to her party. How disgusting. This party is horrid."

"Hey now, I said I was sorry didn't I? You should learn to except apologizes and Hiro-san did a wonderful job creating this party." I glared at her. I couldn't take it anymore. So many people were snobs at this party, and that snotty attitude was wearing away the last of my patience.

She shrieked. "Ah! What a horrid beast!" She slumped to the ground. I tripped and fell on top of her. "Someone tell this girl to mind her manners!"

I stared wide eyed at her. She kept screaming and wailing in fake distress. Everyone had heard her and was now looking over at us. I heard the whispers.

They were all about me...

"What a barbaric girl!"

"Her hair! Those green eyes! She's a bad omen indeed!"

"Savage beast!"

A bad omen. Barbaric. Savage. I widened my eyes even more. The woman's wailing was drowned out by my memories. Of course, I could never fit in. And even if I tried, they'd push me away. Horrible dispicable things always happened around me. And I could never explain why it happened... It just, happened.

Because I was a bad girl.

"Sakura!" I slowly lifted my eyes up and saw him. He held my arm in one hand and my waist around him arm. His eyes looked down at me in worry. "Snap out of it."

"Sasuke-san, where did..." Etsuko jogged over in her heels, the sound clacking against the floor. She stopped when she saw us.

The room was silent. No one moved, not a sound was heard. I gazed at him for sometime and the woman was slowly pulled up by another man. "Han, stand up."

She stared at Sasuke and gasped. "You are..." She pointed to him, but her voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry Ma'am," Sasuke smiled and put a hand on my head, pulling me into his chest. "But I would like it if you kept your voice at a minimum during the party."

The woman protested. "But this girl pushed me over-"

"I'm well aware that she had fallen on top on you, but you were the one who fell first and tripped her slightly afterwords so it would look like she pushed you over." I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was smiling. "Besides, she is not the type of girl to push a woman like you over, even if you were making a scene."

"Sas-" I tilted my head to look up but his hand prevented me from looking anywhere but in the darkness of his chest.

"Sakura-san!" I heard Hiro-san's voice as she rushed over. "Are you alright?"

"She's fine." I felt his hand stroke my back. I bit my lip, trying to stop the tears gathering at my eyes. "I'll take her up. Sai, watch over Etsuko."

"Right."

Swiftly, I was lifted up and into Sasuke's arms, one hand behind thigh and the other on my back to steady me. I gasped as he easily carried me away. As we walked up the stairs, the people began to talk again and the party went back to normal. Only Sasuke and I were not attending.

He brought me back up to the room and set me softly of the bed, as if I were made of glass. I had always considered myself strong, stronger than Hinata or Ino. But at times like this, I was weak.

He sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my head, bringing me to his warmth. "It's okay to let it out, to admit your flaws."

I felt hot tears slip down my cheek. My vision blurred and I grasped his shirt, crying silently into his strength. He wrapped his arms around me and laid his chin on my head.

"Why... why am I hated," I gasped and felt my body shake uncontrollably. "Why was I born a... bad omen...? Why... why... why!"

I felt a hand slowly run up and down my back in a soothing notion. "You're not a bad omen."

"I am!" I clutched the fabric he wore tighter. My chest felt heavy, my stomach churning. "No one wants me! I cause trouble to everyone, whether it's Shiro or my friends! Deep in their hearts no one wants me around!"

"They do." His simple sentence made me look up into his dark black eyes. "Hinata and Ino both love you dearly. Shiro-san probably loves you too because he sacrificed his freedom to bring you up. Don't you see! No one here hates you!"

"You're lying!" I pushed at his shoulders and backed away from him. "**DON'T LIE TO ME!**"

I was suddenly pushed over, my back against the cottony bed. The next thing that happened was a blur. Our lips crashed together and I felt something hot invade my mouth. I gasped and felt my arms being pulled over my head. I finally stopped resisting and let him kiss me, let him dominate me.

He released us from our lip lock, both of us gasping for air. He laid his forehead on mine, our breaths mingling together. "I don't kiss anyone I don't care about."

I felt my chest ache. I wasn't strong at all. I was fragile, like glass. My heart was racing, like I was running fast in the forest.

He whipped my tears away with his thumb and delicately caressed my cheek. I cried, for the longest time since I was little. I cried for my parents who hated me. I cried for the man who had left me. I cried for my village being burnt down. And I cried for being cared for, because it felt so nice.

I'm like glass...

.

.

"_Huh?"_

"_I said, why don't you try and make friends in the village?" He flicked me in the forehead. I yelped and brought my hand up to nurse my bruise._

_The wind howled and blew through the grassy plains on my yard. I didn't speak for a long time until I felt a hand on my head. "It's okay if you don't want to talk. I was simply just asking, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."_

"_Because!" My sudden outburst surprised him. I clutched the frills of my dress. I was nervous on how I was going to tell him. Nervous that if I told him, he would never see me again. "I don't need anyone else to be my friend but you! Besides, every time I try to help or fit in, someone ends up dying..."_

_He stared at me for a second, then flicked me in the forehead again. I scowled and felt my face heat up. _

"_You can't think like that. What would you do if I were to suddenly die one day?" He sounded sad, almost hesitant._

_I darted my eyes back to him. "You're not going to die! Not you!"_

"_The world is unexpected... People come and go everyday, with the dangers outside and all." I felt tears well in my eyes. He sighed and hugged me. "What I'm trying to say is that having only one friend isn't good. I'm happy that you think I'm all you need but you feel empty inside when I'm not around, right?"_

_He was right. Every time he came, I was so happy to the point I could cry. But every time he left, I felt a hole build in my chest, one that grows as he continues to leave everyday. No matter what I did, that void never ceased to grow. I was hallow when I was alone. But making new friends meant the void would only increase. Day by day._

_I was quiet for a while and he sighed. "Don't worry, you'll make lots of friends, and you also have me right?"_

_I stared up and him, his smile warmer than the suns rays. "Un!"_

.

.

After I had stopped leaking tears, I told Sasuke to go back to the party. He asked if I was going to be okay and I smiled. Guarding Etsuko was his responsibility, no matter how much I wanted him to stay. I told him off and said I was fine, he bonked our heads together one more time before walking out of the room.

I sighed and laid my arm over my eyes, thinking about my past, him. He was my light, my driving force. I wished to see him again. But then there was Sasuke, the one who lifted me up when I was stumbling. They are so much alike. In looks and in character.

A knock on the door made me jump. "I-It's open!"

The door swished open and a man walked into slowly. I gasped when I saw it was Tanaka-san. "That young man who carried you said I could visit you here. Is that fine?"

"I-Indeed!" I rubbed my eyes and moved over slightly so he could sit on the bed with me.

He was middle aged, likely in his mid-thirties. He gracefully sat down next to me and I noticed he had stunning blue eyes. "That woman must've been out of her mind to cause such a ruckus. Are you okay now though?"

I nodded and he smiled. "Uhmm, why did you want to talk to me?" He blinked at me and I stuttered, embarrassed that I was too straight-forward. "I-I bumped into Fumi-san and she said that it was an honor to talk to you... so why would you want to talk to me when I'm nothing special?"

"Because you're Shiro-san's daughter."

I blinked for a couple of seconds. Maybe even a few minutes.

"H-How d-d-"

He laughed and pointed directly at my nose. "I've met you before. I knew you forgot me but it's predictable considering you were only seven at the time. We met at the party up near Clarines and I was introduced to you by Shiro-san."

It was fuzzy but I remembered. "You were the man who gave me candy."

He laughed and pulled out a bag of round multicolored sweets. "And I'm going to give you more."

He dropped the bag into my arms and I gaped at him. "B-But... why d-do y-you...?"

"Hiro-san and I are close. When she told me that Shiro-san's daughter was going to be at the party, I brought a bag of candy for her just in case she was feeling down like before." He smiled and stood up. "Well, there are more people to greet, enjoy the candy little miss."

The door closed and I stared at the bag below me. Taking out a round pebble of candy, I plopped it into my mouth and smiled. "It's sweet."

.

.

I walked down the stairs and found Sasuke leaning against the wall in the very back. I walked over and tapped his arm. "Where's Etsuko?"

"She went to dance with the idiot. Look," He pointed to the middle of the room and I could see Naruto grinning while he and Etsuko twirled across the room. "I'm surprised he can dance. Learn something new about him everyday."

I laughed at the scene. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward me. He gave me a questioning look. "Let's dance! I feel like stretching my legs."

He blinked. "Even in those heels?"

"Yes!"

He hefted a sigh and pulled me toward him. "Fine but do you even know how to dance?"

I swayed with him, I could tell he was surprised. "I once learned a long time ago, when I was around six. It was really fun." I smiled up at him. He smirked and danced along with me.

"Who taught you?"

I blinked subconsciously. "I don't remember his name. But you and him resemble each other very much."

"Is that so." His voice sounded strained.

"Hmm?" I looked up at him and saw that far away look in his eyes. He looked like that a few days ago too. I grabbed his wrist and he flinched. "What's-"

A loud Blast came from the middle of the room. We whirled around to see smoke gathering around. Sasuke glared at the scene. "The hell-"

Another blast, then another. The guests screamed and ran around in terror looking for an exit. Chains of explosions came from everywhere in the room.

"What's going on?" Hinata rushed over to me and stared wide eyed. "These explosions just...!"

I reached for the dagger under my dress and told Hinata to calm down. She pulled out hers and we ran into the crowd with Sasuke beside me.

I kicked off my heels and ran barefoot around the room looking for Naruto and Etsuko. Eventually we found him but he was alone. "Where's Etsuko?"

"She's outside with everyone else. We have to find the source of these detonations!" He tried to yell over the sound of the blasts.

I nodded and told Hinata to go find Ino and get outside to calm down the guests. She reluctantly agreed and dashed off to find the blonde.

Luckily the room was high above our heads, or it would've caved in my now. I noticed the blasts came in patterns. It started with the middle, then the corner left of the door. After that it went across to the corner in the back right. The last one we heard was the one in the right corner near the entrance. So the last blast was on the left, in the very back. We had around a few minutes before it went off.

I dashed off. Sasuke probably noticed the pattern too because he had ran off before me. The heavy smoke made it hard to breath. I ripped off a piece of the dress and covered my face with it. I reached the corner and found Sasuke already there, looking through everything for the cause of the explosions.

He turned to me. "Look over there!"

I nodded and looked behind the chair, desks, and bookcases. Behind the very last bookcase was a tiny ball, a red shiny ball. I gasped as I noticed the string attached to it was burning. Reaching in as far as I could, I was able to grab the sphere and cut the string from the explosive.

"I got it!" I ran back over to Sasuke and showed him. "I knew they were Flares."

He grabbed my wrist and we dashed outside to the awaiting guests and out Team. Thunder rumbled and we made it safety outside, rain dripping on us. Hinata hugged me and Ino too. I smiled and comforted the sniffling girls.

"You guys were in there for so long...We thought you were going to-" Hinata sniffled then let out a small whimper.

I laughed and patted her head. "I'm fine. See?"

"Now's not the time to be worrying." I looked over to Sasuke and he frowned considerably, more than he usually does. "Everyone on the list attended. And Hiro-san greeted everyone. They were all familiar to you correct?"

Hiro-san nodded and held Etsuko who was shivering.

"Then somebody on that guest list put those Flares into your house while we were having the party." I murmured. Sasuke sighed and crossed his arms. Thunder rumbled again.

"Let's out of this rain and talk about it then." Sai Suggested.

Hiro-san pulled her daughter close. "We have another building close to the manor. Let's go there." She turned around to the guests and told them that the party was over. Many sighed in relief and started to leave. We said goodbye to all of them and watched as they left, one by one.

"Only mages and Slayers can buy Flares." Sai announced.

Flares were like bombs. They're smaller but they deal the same damage a bomb does. The reason only magicians can purchase Flares are because they're licensed by law. Mages have certificates proving they were dubbed by the king of the region, as do Slayers.

But with us Slayers, we're dubbed only by one king, the king of Jintou. The reason for that is because every Slayer takes the exam in this region. Whether you were trained in Dunther region or Cervine, you still take the exam here. That's ancient Slayer rules, or so I've heard from Shiro.

But this year, there's been way more teams than any year, with the attacks and all. So there's the fact that we have to travel to Beaumont, which is the preliminary round. The first 10 Units to make it to Beaumont pass the first round.

Second round was battle strength. They set you in an arena with your Unit and the ones to deal with the dragon fastest pass.

Every year, there are only five teams that pass, out of the ten that make it to Beaumont. So the competition's tough. The best of the best compete to become the top and I have a feeling we're going to struggle in the end.

Hiro-san thought and shook her head. "No one on that list is associated with Magicians or Slayers."

.

.

"So? Did you put the Flares to use?" A voice spoke, quiet yet radiating powerful.

A woman bowed and smirked. The powerful storm wind knocked her hood off her head, revealing jet black hair and dark eyes. "Indeed. They were very effective. They are smart though, they'll probably know it's someone from the party right away."

"Nevermind that part, did you meet our little 'Bad Omen'?" The voice chuckled slightly.

"Indeed. She's very fragile. We'll have to be careful if we want to use her wisely."

A man in a black and red robe smiled sinisterly. "Why be delicate when we can just break her, right My Lord?"

"Hush already. I don't want any of you to kill her. You will bring her to me when the time is right." His voice was angry as he told the other seven shadows.

"Yes, My Lord." They all snickered, hoping to cut the flesh of the woman.

A woman in the same colored robe laughed quietly. "Just a little more... like a fruit bearing tree we'll let Uchiha-kun tend to you until you're just right for the picking... Haruno-san..." She giggled again, the sound blocked out by the thunder.

Swiftly, all eight shadows dashed away into the deep darkness of the storm, the rain masking their scents,

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><p><em>I hoped you enjoyed this fifth chapter! Please tell me what you think by reviewing! <em>

_EngimaLight- 8:42_


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